btw, this post is not about the kids

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Jesus wants us to be fishermen. I hate fishing, but thanks to my angler of a husband I know a little bit about what it means to be a fisherman. So, what does it mean to be a fisherman?

Does a good fisherman open his front door and hold a weekly fish meeting, hoping that the fish in the sea will find their way inside his house? Does he design an eye-catching flier and put it in the stream next to his house hoping it will reach the sea? Or, if he's really feeling brave, venture to the water's edge to drop the flier into the sea himself? Does he go to his neighbor's house and steal his fish to make his own fish population larger? Does he adorn the outside of his house with shiny gold and jewels to capitalize on a fish's natural affinity for shiny things? Does he get in his boat but keep it safely anchored in shallow water? Does he sit in his house with his doors and windows shut . . . praying that the fish will somehow somehow SOMEHOW find their way inside?

OR

Does a good fisherman put on his fanny pack, fishing vest, muddy boots, smelly jacket, and sweat-stained cap and carry his fishing pole down to the water (ephesians 6:10-18)? Does he get in his boat and sail into the sea -- being IN the sea but not OF it? Does he know the currents and the tides and the best places to find fish? Does he get dirty? Does he get wet?

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And that is where the analogy ends. A good fisherman will catch lots of fish and either sell them or eat them. I don't think that's what Jesus wants us to do. In fact, Jesus doesn't tell us to catch any fish at all. Catching fish is not our responsibility -- we are not even capable of it! Our duty is to fish -- to navigate our boats into the deep sea and cast our line. If we pull up our lures they will be empty every time, but if we cast the line and trust God to pull it up then we will never be disappointed.

I don't have to google to know that this analogy has been done many many MANY times.....but it's never been done by me. And this is what I'm thinking about today.