I’m ready to go fishing. I love fishing; it doesn’t matter if it’s deep sea fishing, fly fishing, a pier, a boat or a dock. I love to fish and I’m happy to wet a line any day, anywhere. There’s something life-giving, almost spiritual about being out on the water and I’ve often repeated the familiar phrase, “A bad day fishing is still better than the best day in the office.”

I once had the perfect job; it was in the heart of Minnesota, the land of lakes. The first thing I did when I arrived there was buy a boat, one of the smartest things I ever did. I prided myself on the fact that I could be out the office door and heading across the water in 25 minutes flat. My favorite secret honey hole was in Big Swan Lake where I caught my share of Walleye, Northern and Crappie.

For me fishing is fun even if I’m not catching fish. Not so much for some of my companions though. I’ve often been incited to use my favorite one-liner for those who bemoan a slow day in the boat; “That’s why they call it fishing, if you were always catching they’d call it catching.”

Over the years I’ve gotten to fish in some pretty amazing places, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and the coast of Maui. But most often when I catch myself daydreaming it’s about fishing the brackish waters of 10,000 Islands near the Florida Everglades. This fisherman’s paradise is an endless maze of Mangrove islets sheltering untold varieties of fresh and saltwater species; fish made strong from fighting the constant tidal currents. If I could I’d be fishing there right now.  

I do a lot of thinking about fishing and I got to thinking about this thinking about fishing. It seems I’m always thinking about the next fishing adventure; planning, preparing, weighing the options. Fishing is a lot like heaven for me because it’s also something I’m really looking forward to. I’m always thinking about heaven and what it’s going to be like to spend eternity there. Maybe there will even be time for fishing.

Philippians 1:21-23 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.