Summertime is fishing time! Although I’m not as avid about fishing as I am about hunting, I still like getting on the water occasionally to wet a line and waste some time. My father could catch fish anywhere anytime on anything, but I did not inherit his angling talent although Antioch’s Associate Pastor, Dale Bennett, is quite the fish whisperer.
Over the last couple years, I’ve been privileged to fish in the deeper waters of both the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay. In each location, the boat captains utilized a technological gadget our angling ancestors could only have dreamt of. Electronic fish finders surveyed the waters below the boats searching for whatever critters might have been inhabiting the depths. Such tools are now standard equipment on virtually every fishing vessel in the world and rightfully so.
These instruments use sonar similar to that of bats whereby they send out sound waves which bounce off the bottom, sunken items, and hopefully trophy fish. The rebounding echoes are received by a transducer which determines the depth of an object by using the time it takes for the sound waves to return. Software translates all the data into easy-to-read displays that can be used by those piloting the vessels.
Another huge benefit of these devices is their ability to report how deep the water is in any given location and to reflect submerged rocks or other hazards that might pose a danger to the boat’s hull or propeller. The cost of the sonar device is relatively miniscule compared to the potential loss of an entire craft from striking a shoal or running aground.
As I’ve reflected on these ingenious aids for finding fish and navigating waters, it occurred to me how comparable they are to the many instruments God has given us to avoid shipwrecking our lives. The most accurate and valuable of these is obviously His Holy Word, the Bible, which warns us in many places and many ways about pride, greed, lust, and other sins lurking just beneath the surface, all of which can sink a life in nothing flat.
In addition to God’s Word, we can also benefit from countless testimonies from those who have sailed these same waters before us. They can share firsthand of the dangers and destruction brought about by various hidden temptations that can easily sink us. Some of them experienced these personally while others have been able to maneuver through them without going down. How foolish it would be for a ship’s captain to ignore all the information and equipment available to him or her and cruise blindly through dangerous waters.
Fishing charters, cargo barges, and cruise liners all carry crew members and passengers in addition to their pilots. The lives of all of these depend on the decisions and actions of the one at the helm. So too, all of us have other people whose lives are impacted by the decisions we make every day. Spouses, children, neighbors, coworkers, etc. can all be affected positively or negatively by the courses we chart through life’s waters. This sobering truth elevates our responsibility and demands that we employ every bit of available information to not only protect those onboard with us, but to also provide an enjoyable and productive excursion for them as well.
In 1 Timothy 1:18-20, the Apostle Paul warned his young protégé to hold tightly to God’s Word, his faith, and a good conscience. He goes on to say that some have rejected these and have consequently shipwrecked their faith. I can’t help but think if Paul had seen a fish finder that he would have encouraged Timothy to use its spiritual equivalent to avoid disaster and stay on course.
As we enjoy the summer fishing season, may the technological gadgets employed by fishermen remind us to pay close attention to all the information God has graciously provided so we can avoid shipwreck and catastrophe. Blessings, George