Fly Fishing - Lessons from the Trout

Written by Jay Hartwell

Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.' " Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down ; for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' " Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.' " Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory ; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan ! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.' " Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Thoughts:
I love to fish. My recent fishing experiences have been in the mountain streams and reservoirs of Colorado, fly fishing. Fly fishing is somewhat unique, as many of you know. Some think of it as an art rather than a sport. One important aspect of fly fishing, is the bait, the use of the most realistic man-made 'fly' that closely mimics the living fly. Not necessary the flies that drive us crazy to cause us to swat like a mad-man when they've buzzed by our face a million times. I'm talking about the large variety of flies by streams that take on a wide range of shapes and sizes. I've actually sat down with a friend to make my very own fly. It was a challenge, especially when you are trying to mimic those very tiny flies. The followup is to make the tiny fly look as natural as possible, as if your fake fly is actually flying, jumping, hatching, landing, scooting and even dying - all of the things a fly would do in its elements. If you are serious about fly fishing, your yoda would tell you "learn to think like a fly, my son. Eat, drink, sleep fly."

Fly fishing and our spiritual journey have a lot in common in many ways. Let's look at it though from this angle - We have an enemy that is constantly throwing us "fake flies" waiting for the opportunity for us to take the hook. The enemy is very good at making the bait look as real as possible. Often times we take it, we bite on the lies, the deception, the tasteless and unmeaningful hook that is thrown at us disguised as a tasty morsel that will satisfy our soul. We flail around lost, worried, full of anxiety, stressed about what the future will be as the enemy joyfully reals us in, proud of his catch. The evil one is the father of "fly fishing," very crafty and knows which type of fly to use and when to use it. Flies of financial trouble, flies of loneliness, flies of hopelessness, of shame, cheating, of self-centerness, the list is long... We need to be able to determine the false - the more we know the truth, the easier it is to see the false.

I once was fishing a stream and must have sat for about an hour throwing my fake fly at a group of trout that I could see very plainly. I tossed and tossed, sometimes landing right in front of their mouths. They would see the fly and gracefully move out of the way. I even saw them, on occasion, snatch up a real fly! Argh! Was it ever so frustrating. I never thought I would learn a lesson from the trout, but this is a good example to follow when striving to live a life as a Christ-follower. Jesus experienced temptation while on this earth. He was thrown lies one after another, but conquered them with truth. That is how we overcome evil, we combat it with truth and are promised victory, "and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." - John 8:32

We don't have to be caught, in fact if we manage to realize the hook, line and sinker we just bought, with help we can get out before evil sets the hook. "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13