Some days are so stressful that the opportunity to get away
is a gift that cannot be refused.
We recently had one of those days.
And we are thankful that we have a little piece of heaven to escape
to.
While there we did quite a bit of fishing. This trip was Paul’s turn to
catch. He’d throw a line in and it
would come back with a fish almost every time. I did not have such luck or talent. Saturday, he caught a fish that broke
his line and got away with his lure, line and all. Sunday morning, just when I was about to call it a day, I
caught a fish. But not just any
fish…the very same fish that Paul had caught the day before, with the lure
still in its jaw. So Paul got both
lures out of its mouth and freed him.
That first lure would have eventually killed him, but because he was
willing to open up one more time, he found life.
Most all of us are given second chances at some point in our
lives. Whether as a sinner saved
by grace, our health, our finances, our relationships, or as a fish with a lure
stuck in its jaw. Our God is a God
of second chances. He is
merciful and gracious and loving and patient. And He always has a plan.
The morning of our unexpectedly stressful day, my devotional
said,
“Go gently through
this day, keeping your eyes on Me.
I will open the way before you as you take steps of trust along your
path. Sometimes the way appears to
be blocked. If you focus on the
obstacle or search for a way around it, you will probably go off course. Instead, focus on Me, the Shepherd who
is leading you on this life journey.
When the road looks
rocky, you can trust Me to get you through. My Presence enables you to face each day with confidence.”
I then read the passage about the Good Shepherd in John 10:14-15,
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my
sheep know me— just as the Father
knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Isaiah 26:7 “The
path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the
righteous smooth.”
Proverbs 24:16 “for
though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble
when calamity strikes.”
Job 33:29 “God does all these things to a person—twice, even three times—“
Thank God for second chances. And for fish.