The Older Teaching the Younger has its Rewards

The last several days, my family and I have been at Beavers Bend in Broken Bow, OK. We’ve had plenty to eat--all the cargo I brought with us and the best of all -- the trout meal we had last night from our big haul of fish. Beer-batter rainbow trout! One of the great rewards of our labors, rather Larry, Staci and Payton’s lab
Alexia and I are two free spirits: fish a little, take care of the meals, and capture lots of sweet moments in photos. We are fair-weather fisher-girls. The others--rain or shine--are after a haul. Patient, diligent, and unrelenting. There are so many things that inspire me on a trip like this. This time I was so impressed by how Larry was an amazing, tender-hearted image of what Jesus must have been like as he kept instructing the disciples in the way they should go.

We learned our best fishing skills years ago from Papa and he learned them from old fishermen. They were happy to tell their favorite fishing tips--the best spots to fish, what to fish with, (the best bait), how to hold the rod and reel that causes the fish to chase after the lure, and how to fillet and cook the fish. The older taught the younger. Now I’m watching Larry and Payton pass it on.

A single mom had her 13-year-old son here from Dallas, spent the night in their van, and was desperately wanting her son to catch at least one fish. He was rigged up for a bass (big hook and big lure). Larry not only told him how to best catch trout, he hooked his line up exactly the way to make it happen. Small hook and small power bait. Immediately he caught a small trout and then a larger one.

Yesterday, again, Larry was showing a man and his son how to rig up their lines. I saw Payton taking a young boy under his wing and showing him step-by-step what to do and how to do it. I can’t help but think about Jesus and His disciples and teaching them.

The fishing they did wasn’t a sport or a fish for a day fishing excursion. Fishing was what they had been trying to do, what they did for a living. So, when Jesus came walking by the seaside and said to them, follow Me and I will show you how to fish for people, why did they go with Him? The Bible doesn’t tell us but I just wonder......

Had the fishing been so lousy that day for Peter, Andrew, James and John that it was a no-brained to give up fishing and follow a man they had never met before? Maybe on this day their nets kept coming up empty, maybe the net-mending was especially monotonous, maybe the heat and humidity were almost unbearable. Were they looking for a good excuse to change occupations — from fishermen to anything-could-be-better-than- this! Had they heard reports about Jesus and His powerful ways enough to pull them away from their nets, their boat, and follow Him?

Why did Andrew, Peter, John and James follow Jesus that day? Did they have any idea that following Him would mean a radical change in their lives? Maybe they thought “Follow Me” simply meant “You deserve a break today.” Maybe they figured they deserved a holiday and tomorrow be back to fishing again. Surely, they couldn’t have guessed what lie I had for them — the excitement, the fun, the grief, and the joy of it all.

We don’t know why they followed Jesus. But we do know that immediately they left their nets and followed Him. To follow Jesus means that we cannot predict what that decision will lead to. Is Jesus calling you to leave your nets? Sometimes the call to follow Jesus Jesus is as loud and clear as a fire siren. Sometimes, His call is more like a still, small voice.

One thing the Bible makes clear is that the call of Christ is the same One who calls us is the strength, the resources, to follow. Maybe, after all, that was the decisive factor for the four fishermen who left their nets and their boats to follow Jesus. Maybe they sensed at some deep, unconscious level, that this was Someone who could be trusted; Someone who, if he asked much, would give even more.

When the disciples followed Jesus instructions (John 20:6), they caught so many fish that the net could not be brought in. That great catch of fish gave the disciples a foretaste of what God was going to do through them as “fishers of men.”

Just imagine the possibilities of what God could do for us if we will faithfully follow Him! Are you ready to do some fishing? Grab your pole. Get your tackle ready. Set some priority time aside. Follow Jesus to the river and expect a great catch! “Come follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

GONE FISHING

We’re (my Wallace clan and me) heading out this morning for our annual fishing trip, but this year we’re diversifying from the trout camp we went to for years and heading for a fishing hole (or holes) at Beaver’s Bend in Broken Bow, OK. The list of "must take" items that were made by Papa and me years ago was updated, added to, and all items for the cabins, the food and, the most important, fishing gear, are all present and accounted for.

In addition to all that -- a dear friend's husband handmade some beautiful trout flies for Payton's fishing expedition! I loved listening to Bob explain the best techniques for catching trout!

Our little piece of heaven at the Marvel Trout Camp was reconsidered last year when the water-release gates at Tenkiller Lake's dam never closed because of the overabundance of rain. It raised havoc on our little hide-a-way fishing hole. Though we caught plenty of fish for a good fish fry, we didn’t haul in the mother-lode like we always did before. A sweet couple saw our family trying every tactic we could to entice those fish to jump on our lines, but those little swimmers had wised up and passed us by. The couple had been at this Beaver’s Bend location just before stopping over at Marvel and they had caught so many fish that they couldn’t catch anymore.

So, on our way home from Marvel, we drove to Beaver's Bend to check it out. We found far more places to fish, additional fun activities, and the cabin was larger and could accommodate all of us instead of having to rent two cabins. Payton brings a friend -- after all, this trip is HIS birthday choice because it was Papa and his "go-to" place for best fishing and camping. I’ll fill you in later about this new adventure and new location. The “unknowns” are sometimes exciting to think about while also a little nerve-racking. At Marvel, we knew what to expect. At Beaver’s Bend, it will be the “thrill of the hunt” – rather the “thrill of the cast”!

We're in good company with Jesus and His disciples. After all, it was Peter and Andrew, brothers who were fishermen, that Jesus called to be His disciples. It was fish that Jesus multiplied to feed the 5,000+. It was fish that Jesus cooked for His disciples. It was in a fish’s mouth that Jesus sent the disciples to retrieve the coin to pay their taxes. It was fish that Jesus likened to when He said to His disciples “Be fishers of men”! There’s something about being a fisherman. Jesus set the example, and we’re simply doing what He did. There’s competition, calm relaxation and a potential meal (or meals), as the fruits of the rewards of fishing are bountiful. We’ll be having a huge fish fry while we’re there. Great expectations! Aw! I can taste it now.

We’ll sit by the campfire and laugh and talk about our adventures in each day. We’ll talk about the “big one” that might have gotten away or the fishing techniques that an old fisherman might have shared with us. We’ll make lots more memories that we’ll continue to share for years to come. Fishing and rustic cabin adventures may not be your forte or fit into your idea of an oasis, but for us, it holds the promise of making lots of memories. No doubt, this family sport will continue for years to come. It all started with a “family-loving-man” who wanted to create memories for his family. And, those memories will continue to mount up – even to the point we know Payton and Alexia will want to create memories like these for their families one day. Are you taking time out to make memories with your little ones -- so much so that they want to carry on the tradition when they have little ones?