We are all fishing for something.  Validation. Peace. Purpose. Direction.  Since the void within ourselves is so starved, we cast our line in any type of water in hopes of finding what we are looking for.  We see the warning flags flying on the beach, like the Red “High Hazard” flag. It doesn’t matter. We want to feel good, because life doesn’t always feel good.  Tired of stress and responsibilities, we escape and go fishing for whatever will fill that temporal need. We then get full, but feel gross afterwards, like how I feel after eating McDonald’s food.

We try to warn others about what is out there, but some folks do not want help.  I learned this during our vacation the summer of 2018. It was our family’s last day on the beach at Perdido Key, Florida.  We started packing up the umbrellas and the chairs. I looked out at the ocean one last time and witnessed a sudden frenzy in the water.  I yelled at my wife and daughter, “Look!” I pointed to where the action was. Then we saw the fin. Then the head of a Hammerhead shark rose out of the water for a quick moment, jerking and eating on something. To the left of the shark were 3 people about 150 feet away standing in waist-deep water. We started yelling “Come in! There’s a shark!” as we waived our arms. They did not budge. Fortunately, there was another man out in the ocean who was in charge of Sea-Doo rides and he rode to where the 3 people were.  “There’s a Hammerhead shark in the water! Get out!” Finally, they slowly started walking to the shore. However, about 15 minutes later, they were back in the water. They wanted more.

The enemy shows us the bait, but not the hook.  After getting hooked, we then come up empty so we get hungry again.  We cast our nets out one more time to find something else to feed our flesh.  We never thought that would create an addiction.

Like it or not, God put a longing inside you and me.  Why is it so easy to fill ourselves with the wrong stuff?  It’s sad when we realize we have been robbed of our peace. From his self-titled book John, he quotes Jesus directly who said: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.” (NLT 10:10a)  Wait for it! John continues Jesus’ discourse in the same verse: “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life”. (NLT 10:10b)

From his book #struggles, Craig Groeschel provides some examples of how “we” also rob ourselves of peace: “Like killing time surfing for an hour or so because we are avoiding a difficult conversation.  Like obsessing over the latest hot app game when we should be playing with our kids. Like numbing the pain in our life by clicking to the “wrong sites” for a lustful escape from reality.” What are you fishing for?

pictures courtesy of “Nelson & his Nikon”.