Forget the Last or You’ll Miss the Next
Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand up to pray, if you have something against anyone forgive so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your wrongdoings.
As I reel in anticipation, I feel a slight tug and then another and the rod tip bends a bit. I pull up on the rod to set the hook and begin to reel in what, from every indication, is the biggest catch of the day – if not the season.
Over the next 2 or 3 minutes I let it take a little line, then reel it in a bit. I honestly think I have something big enough that my wife will someday let me put it up on the wall of my man cave (by the way, I hate that phrase, the entire house is mine and my wife’s, so to say I have a cave, well, anyway).
All of a sudden, I feel something a bit different, my rod tip levels out and there’s no tension on my life. The biggest fish (in my mind) I’ve ever hooked into is gone! I reel in my line, and sure enough, nothing – nothing but my lure. Somehow, I must not have set that hook right and now I’m totally frustrated at myself. Looking out into the water trying to see the fish and mumbling under my breath, I look at the lure. It’s fine and the knot’s fine. Dang IT!
Still irritated at myself and mumbling, I cast out to almost the exact spot as the previous cast. As I begin to reel, I stare at the spot where it got off. Slam! Another strike, but I miss it. What’s going on? So I quickly reel in and BAM another one, but I miss it too. By now I’m ready to jump in after them. My hands are shaking a bit, and my focus is torn between what’s happened before and what’s going on now. Needless to say, while I had some great hits, I didn’t have a successful trip.
If you think about it, there are a lot of things that go like that. I am far from a perfect man and even farther away from being a perfect husband. There have been times that what’s gone on at work has impacted my relationship with my wife. I remember a time, not long ago, the drive home from work hadn’t gone very well. I’d gotten cut off, causing me to run onto the shoulder. Tired from a busy day at work and what had just happened, I was not in a good mood when I got home. My wife, not knowing what happened, hit me with a question; I don’t even remember what it was about. That was it – I snapped off an answer and immediately I knew I’d hurt her feelings.
I tried to apologize, but my frame of mind and tone did not sound apologetic, let alone sincere. You see, I’d not let go of the long day at work or the incident on the way home. How can I ask for forgiveness until I’ve set my mind right and forgiven those who may have done something to me? You see, just like when I was out fishing, my focus was torn and not truly on the situation in front of me. My energy was more on what had happened than what was currently happening. It’s time to move on – forgive and be forgiven. “Father, help me to move on, to forgive, and as I do, forgive me. Amen”