Unlikely Fishing Holes

I recently went fishing with my friend Chris in an unlikely

spot. It was a small, shallow inlet next to an ugly old factory on the CT river—in DECEMBER, no less!

As we geared-up and prepared to launch Chris' boat in the river, I remember thinking, "This is crazy! It will never work! It's too cold and I've fished this river--there's not much to catch!" Still, I knew my buddy was an expert fisherman so I jumped into the boat and, dodging ice flows, off we went.

It was amazing!

I caught more fish in that little inlet in about 3 hours than I’ve caught anywhere in over 40 years. We caught large-mouth bass, small mouth bass, and one very large Northern Pike. I had a blast. The action was virtually non-stop such that I forgot that my hands and feet were freezing. When we show pictures of our fish to friends, they say, "You caught those where?! In December??"

Your LEAST Likely Fishing Hole

Sometimes, the best catch comes from the least likely location!

Jesus told the disciples, "Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19)." My experience is that, just like my December fishing experience, we often "catch" people in the least likely places.

For example, we often assume that we'll have the biggest impact and best result when sharing our faith with family and friends. I've even taught classes where we emphasize "fishing in your own pond." We define that "pond" as our work environment, immediate circle of family and friends, etc.

Now I'm not suggesting that we should NOT reach out to those closest to us and share our testimony of God's grace in our lives. We should! Still, your best results may not come from those efforts. And, if they don't, we shouldn't be discouraged. Jesus also said, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country... (Matthew 13:57)." His own experience was that his LEAST effective ministry came in his own community (see Matthew 13:53-58).

So my question is, what unlikely fishing holes might the Lord call you to fish in? What group of people might you reach out to--maybe even in a place outside your comfort zone? I challenge you to ask God to direct you to that place and then step out in faith. Perhaps, like I did, you'll experience the best fishing day of your life!

To that end,

Pastor Joel