Original: January 13, 2008
McMinnville, OR
2 He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. Job 14:2
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. Job 15:29
21 Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure. Job 20:21
I will never forget my first Oregon Steelhead trip down the Siletz. My friend Calvin invited me on a guided trip down Siletz, and after leaving at 3:30 in the morning and driving the hour-and-a-half to the boat launch, myself, Calvin and one other guy were soon drifting in the morning mist with our guide Grant who consoled me with, “Jim, don’t be discouraged if you don’t catch as many fish as these guys. They are much more experienced than you.”
Growing up fishing I thought I knew how to fish and pondered how the day may play out his forewarning to me, but I figured a day on the river is better that a day at work as the cliché goes. By the end of the day, however, we had landed six steelies and hooked eight. Six of those hookups were mine; losing two due the guides hook untying and a purposeful snapping of the line by Grant while hooked up in a bad rapid.
On of these fish was a 34 ½ inch hatchery hen that had 19 ½ inch girth and was well over 16 pounds. In his 11 years of guiding Grant informed me that it was the largest hatchery hen he had ever put in the boat! I fought that fish in the rapids for over a half-an-hour having to get back in the drift boat to un-snag her from rocks several times before finally getting her in the net! I have never fought a fish so hard and so long in my life. It was only when she began to concede to the pressure of my rod and roll onto her side that I knew she was done fighting.
When I read the three verses listed for today from the book of Job I think of that Siletz Steelie.
We enter life fighting and devouring all that we can to make a name for ourselves and gain success and notoriety in life. We fight and we fight only to realize that at some point in our life we cannot fight like we used to. But still, we press on, resisting the effects of age and the toll that fighting for wealth, status and power have taken on our finite and minuscule lives.
Finally at the end of it all, like my steelhead, we give up our side, and are pulled into eternity.
None of our earthly wealth, power or status follows us, but all is washed down the currents of time. Maybe we fight too hard for the wrong things. Maybe our fight should be for souls, love, and relationships instead of wealth, materialism and power.
Or, maybe we should fight for that which will endure with our soul; those things that will be netted into eternity along with our immortal spirit. Maybe we should stop fighting for that which will not endure and begin to battle for the infinite.
10 …But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
What are you giving your side to?
