A short reflection from a day at the pond with the fishing club.
Today I had the chance to substitute for the fishing club, and it had been a while since I last caught a fish from the pond near our school. Before the students arrived, I tested a few baits to make sure everything was in good shape. Hot dogs and corn both worked.
A few minutes later, the students showed up, and the fun began. Soon they were catching fish of their own. I was hoping we would land some big bass today.
About thirty minutes in, one student pulled up a good-sized bass, and I was happy for him.
Then, just as we were almost ready to wrap up, a shout came from a distance. A student had hooked a massive largemouth bass, at least four pounds. It was a monster.
As I watched the excitement, I thought about the disciples of Jesus. Several of them were fishermen, and they knew exactly how it feels to go home with an empty net. They spent entire days on the water, hoping for a good catch, and some days there was no result at all.
Our lives are often like that. When we don’t see results, or when nothing significant is happening in front of us, we get disappointed, angry, or even discouraged. But it is neither realistic nor logical to expect good results every single day. We forget that easily and call it bad luck.
It isn’t bad luck. It is part of the process. Our students did not catch their biggest fish in the first few minutes. It came near the very end, after time, effort, and patience. The same is true for us. We need to stay patient and keep working until we achieve what we set out to do.
(Written by Matt Kwon)
