Casting My Net

"After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God. As He passed by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.'  He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then He called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed Him." -[Mark 1: 14-20].

Back in the day, Sundays were reserved for family. My grandparents, my aunt, uncle, cousins, my parents, my sibling and I all went to church. Then, we all gathered at my grandmother's house for a big Sunday dinner.

For fourteen years, I sat in the oak church pew next to my brother. I listened to the hymns and tried to sing along. I listened to the Reverend preach that Jesus loves us, and that He died for us. I mostly did not understand the notions of Redemption, Resurrection; and I had no idea where Heaven was. All I knew was that Heaven was some impossibly beautiful and perfect place, somewhere past the outermost reaches of deep space.

When I turned 14, both my grandparents had passed away. My uncle and aunt stopped driving from the next State over, to come to church with us. I asked to go to church, but was told, "We don't do that anymore. We don't believe in that stuff anymore."

But it was too late. I was "hooked" (pun intended). I was a Christian. But a Christian in limbo. No way to get to church clear across town. Too afraid to admit my Faith since, if I even so much as uttered God Bless You, I would get a snort and the hairy eyeball.

My sibling was determinedly NOT a Christian. He daydreamed in church, complained vociferously about going to church and every church service was pure misery for him. He wiggled, he wriggled, he constantly poked our mother to ask what time it was?

We heard the exact same things in church. We were exposed to the exact same curriculum in Sunday School. But I was a Christian and he was not.

The metaphor of fishing is very apt. A fisherman could cast his net out in the deep seas for days and weeks on end, and catch barely anything. The fisherman cannot WILL or force the fish to jump into his net.

The fact that my parents stopped taking me to church took its toll on me. For decades of my life, I was afraid to express any interest in my Faith. I took my Faith underground. I wanted to wear a gold cross, but I didn't dare. I wanted to read the Bible but I didn't dare.

For decades, I thought that my parents could take my Faith away simply by taking church away.

What I learned decades later is that that is not possible. I felt like my parents tried to take my Faith away, but it was there all along. . .

Nor is it possible for anyone to GIVE you your Faith. Christians believe that we are born with the desire for God in our hearts.  But it is up to the individual Christian to know what to do with that. I can see this in my sibling. My parents "gave" him a Christian upbringing, but it did not create in him a deep Faith.

God can call us and call us, but we do not have to listen or heed the call. Simon and Andrew and James and John dropped their nets and followed Jesus. I notice that Zebedee and his hired men stayed behind. Maybe Zebedee and his hired men were not ready.

Jesus talks about this in Matthew 13: 13-15: Jesus says, "This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do to hear or understand. For this people's heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes."

To be a Fisher of People, as a Christian, I am called to simply cast my net. Some may respond, others may not.

There is a big difference between Proselytizing and Evangelizing. Proselytizing means forcing one's Faith on another. But, that is impossible! No one can give you your Faith, and no one can take it way. anyway, how strong could one's Faith be if it were a forced act? Would God even want us if our Heart is not in it? A faked Faith is hypocrisy.

But, Evangelizing means being an "ambassador for Christ". Simply trying, the best I can, to live in a Christ-like way, is enough. . . trying to be patient, kind, helpful to others, humble, loving, gentle, tolerant, generous.

I said, "Trying. " I am not "Holier than Thou." I am human. I make mistakes. As St. Paul says in Romans: "For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Certainly, there are prominent people today who call themselves Christians, who fall very short and are egregious sinners. Some would say that Christianity itself is a terrible thing, when so many so-called Christians are indulging in evil and even criminal behavior.

But my heart is sad to think that we should condemn all of Christianity, for the reason that there are some Christians who are sinners. Christianity does not make people immune to Sin. Christianity is never to be used as a Shield or a mask to distract from truly horrendous behavior . That, friends, is a misuse of Christianity.

Being a Christian does make me more aware of how I am perceived and how I conduct my life. I don't want to be one of those Christians who has a Fish bumper sticker on my car, but who stoops so low as to cut other cars off, weave and speed in heavy traffic, or shockingly, commit road rage. I don't want to claim I am a Christian, all as I lie and cheat and hoard and steal my way to the top, stepping on everyone I can on the way up.

I remember many years ago, when I was first starting my Journey to find and nurture my Spiritual side. I met an older woman who had her share of wrinkles and gray hairs. But she positively glowed. In a word, she was beautiful!! I  took one look at her and asked, "What is your secret?" She told me that she was a Christian and she prayed daily on the things she herself could not control in her life.

I walked away a different person. I told a girlfriend who was with me, "I want what SHE has!"

Now THAT is an ambassador for Christ. Quite simply, the embodiment of the Light, casting out darkness. Not fire and brimstone speeches, not shouting slogans louder than anyone, not acting as judge, jury and executioner. Simply BEING - Love, Light, Hope, Faith. . .

[Related Posting: "Come After Me", 1/27/11; "Fishers of Men", 1/21/12; "Putting Out in Deep Water", 2/10/13; "Answering God's Call", 1/27/14; "Fishing Manual", 1/24/15].

(c) Spiritual Devotional 2018. All Rights Reserved.