David’s Blog

The other day we were fishing in Galveston and hadn’t caught much of anything. We were using a variety of lures and live shrimp for bait and still zilch. Then, as if someone flipped a switch the fish began to bite around 9am. I caught one, my son caught one, then one of us got bit off. “Awesome,” you might say 4 fish in about 10 minutes but, instead of tying on the same lure we had just lost I put on a new, different lure other than what had just “worked.” With the new lure on we kept chunking and winding. “Hey,” Aiden and I doubled up but he snagged a rock and snapped the line. So, what did I do? I put on something different. A fish later and another cast and we got bit off again and I start digging through my tackle box for something else to throw. I’m ignoring the shrimp we just bought and hurriedly looking for a suspending this or that, soft plastics in a certain shade of green or maybe a topwater with a rattle…

Now looking back on the day, I’m wondering why didn’t I just keep tying the same lure on? If it’s not broke don’t fix it, right? Part of my methodology was to try some new lures I had never used before but had “heard” they were supposed to be good. Clearly there were fish that wanted to bite so why not. Looking at the water it was easy to see bait so I was also trying to “match the hatch.”

Yet subtlely, I realize I was looking for the “magic” bait that would catch a fish every cast. I know my expectations were a little high, okay, way too high. There is no magic bait but what drove me to look for that special lure corresponds a part of us that goes beyond fishing. There is a desire in me/us to want MORE of whatever and there are times when I seem unsatisfied with what I have. I want life to be better than normal, or at least in comparison to the guy down the way. Then, I remember what Paul writes in Philippians that he had found the secret to contentment; knowing and trusting that God provides for our needs. God is in control and He knows me better than me. God teaches that lesson in a variety of ways, the outdoors just happened to be my classroom that day.

Looking back I can see our need was to create memories and stories; now Bryson can talk about his mackerel and they both will look back on a great day with dad. I guess I do want more of that.