Gary Miller
Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:33 am
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I've noticed lately how the lake levels are at peak summer height. For dock operators and recreational lake lovers, this makes for a great summer; for fisherman not so much. It's far easier to catch fish when there are fewer places to look for them. During the end of summer and into the fall, the local lake levels begin to drop and that makes for great fishing. For many years when the lake is at its lowest level I have taken this opportunity to forgo a boat and simply wade. It is the most productive fishing I have ever done. The stories and memories of these types of fishing trips are numerous. I think about the times I would take my young son on one of these trips. It was a great opportunity for him to play in the water as well as catch fish. The water was always warm and the slope of the bank never caused a concern over him falling off of a steep ledge. There were, however, some instructions that I would always give. He was to follow in my footsteps. Even though there were no steep places, there were occasional rocks and stumps that must be maneuvered successfully in order to keep from falling. That was my job. I would look, feel, and slowly move ahead, charting a safe path for my child. To him, it may have looked like I was taking a longer or more difficult path, but I was simply leading him around the obstacles that he never knew laid ahead. His obedience and joy proved that he trusted his father. As I watched him I was given the picture of what it really meant to trust God with a child-like faith.
Many times I have not understood the paths that I have been led down. I have even wondered why His path seemed so "out of the way." But it has been those times that I have lost the joy of the journey and the excitement of the destination. My son was not concerned about obstacles. He was simply obedient. He knew and I knew that I would never lead him where I could not keep him. That is exactly the kind of relationship God wants to have with me. One that recognizes that my job is to trust Him by following in His footsteps knowing He too will never, never, never, lead me where He cannot keep me.
Gary Miller
Outdoor Truths Ministries