“I can’t believe you got another one!” I said, as I watched my husband skillfully reel in another largemouth bass. “What is that, 19 or 20 fish for you?”
“I don’t know,” he said, throwing the bass back into the lake. “I’m not keeping track.”
Maybe he wasn’t, but I certainly was. Jeff had caught 19 fish that day, and I’d caught nada, nothing, zilch, zippo, zero. (Unless you count the giant lily pad I had hooked earlier in the day.)
It was the worst day of fishing I’d ever had!
Now, Jeff is quite an accomplished angler. He could catch a fish in the worst conditions, so I’ve learned that if I observe him and do exactly as he does, I will catch fish. It ALWAYS works.
Until last Saturday…
I was using the same bait as his, casting the same places he cast, wiggling my line when he wiggled his line, and yet the fish seemed to jump onto his hook and shun mine.
It just didn’t make any sense.
It had been a long, hot, sweaty, non-fish-catching kind of day for me, and I was tired.
The sun had already gone down by this point, and the night sky was quickly upon us. As Jeff put away his fishing pole and cleaned up the boat, I continued casting.
I so wanted to catch a fish.
Then, just as I was about to give up, I felt a tug on my line.
It was a big tug!
I had a fish!
I quickly set the hook and began bringing in that fish.
“That’s it!” Jeff encouraged. “He’s a nice one.”
Yes, he was.
He wasn’t a monster, but he was the biggest fish of the day, and I had caught him!
Reflecting on my catch as we drove home that night, I couldn’t help but think about the day’s events. I had fished my heart out, following Jeff’s example all day, and yet I hadn’t even had a nibble on my line until the very end.
That’s just how it goes sometimes—on and off the lake.
I learned several important truths that afternoon. First, you have to celebrate with others when they have victories in life while you wait for your breakthrough to manifest.
Second, you can be doing everything right and still not have the results you desire exactly when you desire them, because everything happens in God’s timing. And, when God brings it to pass, it’s so worth the wait.
READ MORE: WHERE’S YOUR FOCUS?
And, third, it’s important to enjoy the journey on the way to where you’re going. Though catching the fish was amazing, spending the day on the lake with my handsome hubby was equally wonderful. Oh, and fourth, Jeff is the most patient man in the world.
Pray this with me:
Lord, help me to keep a good attitude and celebrate with others when they triumph. And, Father help me to trust You even when it looks like nothing is working in my life. Help me to not give up before I see the victory.
And, lastly, Lord help me to live in the moment and enjoy the little things in life. Help me not to be so goal oriented or competitive that I miss out on the blessings all around me. I love You, Lord. In the Mighty Name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
