As I began working on a complete revison of my web site behind the scenes, it made me wonder how much "behind the scenes" God works in our lives. Just because we cannot see God with our eyes, is God not still there? I sometimes think we fail to remember that all of creation belongs to God, and therefore, anything in creation can be used by God to "speak" to us. I was made aware of this again this past Friday and Saturday. let me explain.
My son Paul and his wife Pam spent part of their 2007 vacation visiting with Rosie and me. Naturally, their sons, Daniel, Zachary, and Samuel were here also. Zach is the sports-minded of the two older brothers and likes fishing, which happens to be one of my favorite past-times. So he and I naturally spent some time fishing. During the few hours he and I spent "competing" against each other, each trying to catch more fish than the other one, I really felt like a "kid" again. It didn't feel like an old man grandfather competing with a young grandson; this was a time of two ageless people engaging in an activity that brought them even closer. Through this simple time together, sharing in a sport we both love, God was "speaking" to us, to Zach and to me. The fellowship we shared along side that pond where the sunfish were biting everything we threw at them, was a reminder for me, and a preview for Zach, of how we are to live our lives with everyone around us. We may not all like exactly the same things, but taking the time to share together what we do like to do, whether it be work or play, makes the experience just that much nicer, that much better, that much more rewarding.
Now Zach may not have shared my intellectual experience, but it was obvious that he was sharing the physical and emotional experience. His laughter, his gloating (as he managed on Friday to best me twice on the number of fish caught), his unsolicited "Thanks, Gramps, for taking me fishing;" all of this very vividly displayed how much the time spent together had meant to him. And it made this old man feel like a very young kid one more time.
There is an addedum to the above story.
On Saturday, September 16th, the maids of honor (my daughter doesn't like to make choices) threw a bridal shower for Wendy. In attendance were her two nieces, Andrea who is a junior bridesmaid, and Jessa who is one of the flower girls. Following the party, the bride-to-be and her mother, along with Pam and Cheryl, my two daughters-in-law, came back to the house. Paul and Scott were there with me, along with Zach. Zach and I were getting ready to go fishing when I asked my granddaughters if they would like to try fishing. With only a little hesitation, and after being assured they would not have to bait the hooks, or take any fish caught off the hooks, they decided to go along. So off we went.
Over at the park, we unpacked the gear from Grandpa's car and headed for the fishing pond. Fortunately, Paul and Scott also decided to come along. When we got to the pond, we quickly prepared three poles for the kids. Jessa got the first pole, and I cast the line out for her. Zach got one of my poles, which he proceeded to cast on his own. Andrea got the other kid's pole, which I also cast out for her.
Zach must have a magic touch. his second cast barely hit the water, and he hooked a fish. He had caught two more before Jessa caught her first fish. In between all those fish, however, there were repeated needs for hooks to be re-baited. The girls' fishing techniques were not as skilled as Zach's and the fish stole many a worm before either girl caught on to setting the hook.
After about an hour, Zach and his dad had to leave to head back home. But the girls weren't quite ready to quit. So I left them there with their dad while I took Paul and Zach back to the house to join Pam and Zach's baby brother Sammy for their journey back "up north." After they departed, I returned to the park to see how the girls were doing. They were waiting for Grandpa to return so they could head home -- not because they were tired of fishing -- but because they had run out of bait! Later that evening, before the girls settled down for the night, I asked them if they had enjoyed fishing. "Yes!" was the resounding reply.
On Sunday, Scott, Cheryl and the girls went to enjoy the Renisannce Faire down near Sterling Forest. Later on, when they had returned to our home to pack up their things to head home, Scott remarked how Jessa had stated on several occasions that she could hardly wait until she could go fishing again.
So, even though I went fishing this past weekend, I never even got my own line wet. I really got skunked! This time not by one, but three grandkids! Boy, do I need to teach them how to bait their own hooks! But I won't have to look far for a "fishing buddy" when these grandkids are around.