Friday, August 1, 2008

8.01.08 Outdoor Devotion: Empty Handed

Yesterday was a perfect day for fishing and I was in the perfect spot. As I approached the edge of Lake Hickory I could see schools of baitfish moving along the water's surface with periodic swirls of larger ichthyic specimens preying upon them. Overcast skies, a little stain to the water and a slight breeze made conditions right for a willow leaf spinnerbait.
In my mind I pictured the first cast. 30 yards to the left, 10 feet past a large rock the lure would land with barely a splash. I would allow the spinnerbait to sink to the bottom, blades fluttering sporadically as it made its descent. On the count of three I would began reeling in the slack and when the line became taunt a little jerk would ensure the blades were turning correctly. As my bait passed the rock I would simultanesously see a swirl and feel the tug of a hungry largemouth, enhaling its breakfast. It would be perfect.
I reached down to feel the cork grip of my 6 foot graphite rod only to discover it wasn't there. Day dreams surrendered to reality and I remembered what had brought me to the lake. Work had brought me to a planning conference at Holyfield Leadership Training Conference and althought I'd packed a lot of stuff but there was no tackle to be found. I was empty handed.
Lately I've been thinking about the Christian walk. Maybe its cultural, maybe traditional but we Christians often think that we can do certain things; pray more, attend Church more regularly, tithe a little extra or increase our busyness for the Kingdom and God will love us more. This idea that we can earn our salvation has been prevalent throughout time and has been a hurdle in my life as well. What He desires is that we humble ourselves and surrender our desires to Him. We are most powerful and most useful yielded to the Father and empty handed.