Two weeks ago, I had the privileged experience of fishing for walleye and northern pike in the “wilderness” of northwestern Ontario. By the word “wilderness,” I mean: four of us stayed within a cabin, which, although it had an outhouse, also had hot and cold water, a shower, electricity and a wood-burning stove. By “wilderness” I also mean: we had boat access to three, good-sized lakes, with no other signs of humanity for miles around. The silence … was profound and wild. We were beyond any Internet access, and only upon one day did we hear the distant drone of a plane; otherwise, the wind and conversant loons disturbed our silence.
Of the four of us, I was the novice, the neophyte; my companions, however, were well-seasoned and -experienced fishermen, and were very patient with me, guiding me in the sport and art of fishing. Thus I learned to bait-a-hook, set-a-hook, use a gig or lure, and to cast with accuracy—or almost. And I became comfortable netting a fish, un-hooking it, and, with a word of encouragement: “Friend, return to your world”, releasing it to the iron-colored waters about us.
But I also learned these truths, rather than, as I had for years, simply giving intellectual assent to them: fishing requires strategy and patience. “To successfully fish,” one needs to know the kind or variety of fish and their behavior or inclinations, subject to weather conditions, time of day and season: spring, summer or fall. One must also go to where they are: not once did a fish jump into our boat and announce: “I’ve been looking for you guys.”
Almost proverbial is the adage that fishing requires patience; although I was consistently reminded that our four days of fishing was exceptional: on average, we caught nearly one hundred fish each day (and I don’t believe this to be a fisherman’s tale). This meant, however, that during the ten-to-twelve hours each day we were upon the lake, we experienced moments of inactivity: we waited. A beautiful sun blazed; the mirror-still lake reflected, and we waited. During such moments, my mind turned to Jesus’ words to His first disciples: “I will make you fishers of men”, or, as a recent translation captures: “"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." (Mark 1:17 TNIV)
In my next blog I will share more with you regarding Jesus’ words and my Canadian experience.
Faithfully,
Stan