Girls Can’t Catch What?

“Carinda, come here. I have something for you.”

Upon hearing those words, our youngest daughter came running to her daddy. She loved presents of any kind, and this sounded like one of those times.

Grinning, Andrew held out a little pink bill cap with the words “Girls can’t catch what?” plastered across the front of it. A largemouth bass decorated the left side in a girlish fashion.

Carinda’s eyes sparkled, and her smile revealed her missing front teeth as her daddy placed the cap on her head, trying it out for size. He adjusted the velcro tab at the back until the fit was perfect and then, straightening to his full height, he surveyed his youngest daughter.

“There! Now you are a proper fisherman! Let’s go!”

Our whole family piled into the boat and in short order, we found ourselves anchored in one of our favorite fishing holes.

Turning my face into the wind, I filled my lungs with the salty sea air and settled into my favorite corner of the boat. I listened to Andrew’s familiar voice as he instructed one child after another on how to cast, jiggle, reel, or not reel in their line, depending on which kind of fish they were after.

Carinda manned her small pole for an impressive length of time, determined to catch a fish, but after reeling in the line time after time with no fish on the hook, fishing started to lose its allure.

Despite the words on her new bill cap, she eventually handed her rod to her daddy and resorted to her favorite pastime of playing with the shrimp in the live well. Thrusting her tiny hand into the tank of slimy, squirming creatures, she captured and named each one, then set them loose to swim again until one of her siblings called for a piece of bait. Then, carefully choosing the one she thought would provide the best chance of success, she said goodbye to her new little pet and handed it over to the more faithful fishermen.

The hat stayed firmly on her head. If she couldn’t catch a fish, she could always catch a shrimp from the live well. Her place on the boat was both valuable and secure.

Today I was reminded again of those long-ago fishing trips and my small daughter with her little pink cap as I read Jesus’s words to Peter and Andrew.

“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish…”

I wonder if Jesus paused at that point, thus gaining their full attention. They were already familiar with fishing; it was their occupation of choice. Jesus, on the other hand, didn’t fish; he built things with wood. Why was he assuming he could teach them?

He went on.

“I will show you how to fish…for people.” Matthew 4:19

And there it is, the point he wanted to make!

Jesus was more interested in people than fish. He wanted to introduce them to a new kind of fishing, so He invited them to come and follow Him.

As they trailed along behind Jesus day after day, they saw how he interacted with different classes of people. He taught them how to behave and how not to behave, what to tolerate and not tolerate, when to speak, and when to hold their tongues. They watched as he reprimanded some folks for their actions and showed compassion to others, as he called out sin and offered forgiveness.

And while they observed Jesus’ day-to-day actions, he was teaching them how to fish for people.

Jesus reaches out to you and me with this same invitation.

“Come.”

I love the sound of that word, for it speaks of acceptance and His desire to be near me. I feel valued- knowing that He wants us to be in proximity to Him.

“Follow me,” is just as beautiful. He doesn’t want just a one-time encounter; to follow indicates His desire to relate to us on an ongoing basis.

“I will show you how…”

He is willing to teach. We may or may not be well-learned and scholarly. Regardless of our importance or lack of it in the eyes of the world, Jesus sees potential in you and me, and he is willing to invest his energy into us. But why?

“To fish for people.” Now the purpose of our learning to fish is revealed. His mission has always been to rescue people from their sins.  Once he catches and redeems us, he wants us to help him catch others.

Jesus teaching the disciples to fish was sort of like Andrew teaching his little girl with the pink hat. They got distracted, they got tired of practicing, and they kept doing it wrong.

So do we.

But Jesus has patience; lots of it. He taught Peter and Andrew and He can teach you and me.

We learn by reading the Gospels and imitating Jesus’ life and actions. It takes lots of practice!

It’s a tall order and a big sigh escapes my lips as my head drops back to rest on the cushion behind me. I mess up this business of fishing so often.

My eyes close and then I see Jesus smile as he reaches out and places a little pink bill cap on my head. He winks at me as he says, “Come on. Follow me. Try again. Girls can’t catch what?”