Five guys were fishing at mouth of a creek on the south side of the bay. We were a long way from anywhere. It would take eight hours of driving to get to the nearest city of any size. The blue sky was wonderfully absent of planes. It was quiet, serene; a perfect place for fishing.
As we rigged our poles, the ideas started flowing. What kind of lure would be the best? Where should we cast? I was the novice in the group. I had no idea what would work! As I listened, I quickly realized that I had more assertions than there were fishing poles.
Ideas are just ideas. They are not facts. Rarely are they all equal. Some may come with more weight or importance. The warning one should remember is that once one hears an idea, it cannot be erased. One may forget it for a time, however some ideas continue to grow within us.
As I considered my choices, I realized that we were discussing the art of fishing. Some ideas were more educated. Others were intuitive. Still others were whimsical. I had a wide range to consider and I had no idea how to evaluate any of them! This was going to be tough.
Life can throws us curves. When it comes to God, “some people say, quite rightly, that idols have no actual existence, that there’s nothing to them, that there is no God other than our one God, that no matter how many of these so-called gods are named and worshiped they still don’t add up to anything but a tall story.” (1 Corinthians 8.4) On the other hand, the fine line between an image of God and an idol can be confusing. When one thinks of the ideas we religiously follow, money, football, or pastimes, one could also identify these as gods or idols.
Yesterday I listened to my heart and reflected on the reference books that I have read. In this knowledge I tried different lures. Some worked. Today I know I will make different choices.
