Fishing Fletcher’s Floodwaters through the summer—Memorial Day to September—was a pleasure. The water levels of the flooding stayed high enough to make for excellent catches of fish. By Labor Day weekend, the water level diminished to the point all stumps and snags, once well below the water’s surface, lay exposed. Fishing became problematic. It was time to take slow boat rides and collect the summer’s lost fishing lures from their underwater tombs. (Pause for Thought: “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”—Psalm 16:9-10. When have you felt abandoned? What circumstances (finances, relationships, work, etc.) seem to overwhelm you with dread and loneliness? How have you been rescued from these circumstances in the past?)
It was a treasure hunt for my family and me. My dad and I would get in our boat and my grandpa would get in his. We meandered through the once submerged forest looking for shiny, colorful, patches on the starkly dark, gloomy, tree trunks and branches. Often, the lures and baits were so corroded and decaying, the hooks would disintegrate as you pulled them from the bark and grime. The rust and pitting betrayed how long the baits had been left and forgotten. It became a contest amongst us as to who could collect the most and best baits. (Pause for Thought: “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me’.”—Isaiah 49:14-16. What emotional scars and distrust (fears) do you experience because of past abandonments? Does knowing Jesus, through his crucifixion, empathizes and sympathizes with you help you to recover and, if yes, how?)
My grandpa would take the recovered lures, and using his God-given talents, restore them to pristine condition. Many times the lures were improved with little flourishes and “touches” unique to my grandpa’s talents as a craftsman and fishermen. Trolling lures received squirrel tail dressing to add life-like movement. Spoons and jigs received fish-appropriate paint jobs that could withstand the stresses of rocks, wood, and fish teeth. I loved receiving these baits back from my grandpa during Christmas and birthdays. It was purposeful art created from long lost possessions recovered by those who took the time and effort to care. (Pause for Thought: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”—1 Peter 5:10. How does this Holy Week culminating in Jesus’ resurrection and restoration to the throne help you in your current circumstances? What joy do you have for your future now that sin, and its consequence of death, has been defeated? What hope and strength can you gain from your association with Jesus’ suffering, death, and recovery from the grave?)
