I have sort of a sordid past with boats. It could be the mere fact that they float on the water and I’ve not always been a big fan of that either since I only recently learned to swim… ok, doggie paddle… alright tread water in a way that I maybe won’t die if I’m thrust into the deep end of the pool…

I’m perfectly happy to stand on the edge of the ocean and look out while the water laps up on my toes but I’m in no way inclined to take a dip. And cruise ships — even though you’d think their sheer size would make me feel more comfortable than say a canoe– are definitely out… maybe I’ve seen Titanic one too many times…

At one point in my life a boat was the bane of my existence, but that’s a story for another day. Back in my mid-twenties and way before the boy and his dad, I sucked it all up and booked my dad and I on a charter boat for a night fishing trip because he likes to fish and I needed a cool Father’s Day gift.

Growing up it wasn’t uncommon for my dad to gather up the rods and tackle box after dinner on long summer nights and we would ride over to the neighbors house, wave at the cows and make our way out to the pier on their pond to try our hand at reeling in bass and brim. When we tired of sitting at the dock on overturned five gallon buckets, we’d circle the shoreline looking for the perfect spot to catch the ‘big one’, casting out and pulling back in sometimes only seaweed until the sun set or the mosquitoes got to be too much.

Years later on that modest size charter, I came into a new appreciation for boats though it could have been because the cute deck hands came through and baited your hook for you…. And I remember as dad and I talked about fishing that night and brushed over my new reality of being divorced, he said I should find a guy who liked to fish. Which not too long after, I did that quite literally, but it was the worst possible catch in every since of the word. Maybe I’ll tell ya all about that one day too.

But here’s the REAL fisher of men I found eventually– and I think it’s maybe who dad meant all along?

Jesus.

Sure I was always a Christian, always at church. always in youth group but fishing in the shallow waters isn’t the same as setting out on the sea letting your nets down with the master in the deep.

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. ~Luke 5:1-11

Just like those empty boats on the shore, how grateful I am that Jesus noticed me– this empty vessel — and climbed in. And though it’s scary to leave the shore, I’m realizing more and more that he’s leading me to a huge blessing when I let down my nets– my guard, my plans– and decide to fish with Him in the deep rather than in the shallows alone.

My best efforts are futile without Jesus who promises to shore up broken dreams and nets.

Are you catching a new vision of Jesus’s provision today? What scary thing in your life has He turned into a blessing?

{All images via The Graphics Fairy}

♥

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