ORDINARY FISHERMEN

I have had the best time visiting my daughter here in Juneau, Alaska. This is an area that is beautiful beyond imagination. The mountains are so steep and there are snow and ice visible on the peaks, even in the middle of summer. The huge pine trees are so straight and TALL, you feel so incredibly tiny standing next to one. But it is the ocean that intrigues me. I can sit and watch the boats running up and down the water for hours. Watching the waves glisten from the sun almost puts me in a trance.

One day we went and watched about a hundred boats all fishing. They each had to wait in line for the boat in front of them to finish their catch and then the next boat had its turn. It was all very coordinated after you got to the spot you were fishing but I think there might have been a little more aggressive behavior earlier when they were all positioning for the best spot. Saturday was a special day for Joe and I because we got to go out on one of the boats.

The skiff came to the dock and picked us up and transported us to the fishing boat. We watched in amazement as the huge nets were pulled in with over a hundred thousand pounds of salmon. While I was watching all this I kept thinking about how they were just ordinary fishermen. I am not talking about the fishermen that were on the boat with me, I am talking about the ones that Jesus knew. I am talking about Peter and Andrew, two brothers that Jesus watched fishing one day. Jesus called them and told them to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men.

Why would Jesus pick these two ordinary fishermen? Why would these two fishermen leave everything and follow Him? Jesus does not look at people in the same way that we do, He sees into their soul. What we consider ordinary, Jesus sees as extraordinary. Everyone has a gift of some kind, it is not always readily visible to us.

What are some gifts that we might have? Humbleness, leadership, singing talent, pastoral anointing, generosity, fundraising, organization skills, oratory, wisdom, teaching, to name a few. You can use any skill that you have to give thanks and praise to the Lord.

I am unworthy but I hope that the Lord can find something in my soul that He deems worthy. I am thankful that He takes my smallest gift and finds it pleasing. I am ordinary and that is fine by me.

Have A Blessed Sunday!