The other thought I have when I see Benny fishing is hope. Benny has all the gear - with a fishing rod bigger than him! He has the hat, the boots, the life jacket. He probably has one of those fishing lures that his father makes.
You don't come to a lake expecting to catch a fish with just a string on a line. Everyone knows that! Even this City Nana .....
But all the gear and all the equipment and all the best fishing lures in the world don't top hope. The excitement of the sport is that hope. That, today, you will catch the biggest fish - ever! That, today, you will be fighting the fight and wrestling the monster at the end of the line - and you will be victorious!
That says all you need to know about faith. You equip yourself. You fight the fight. You learn how to cast - and then you hope. Hope that you are moving closer to God. Hope that you are winning the race. Hope that, just as you are following those before you, others are following after you.
You place all your hope in God. Through prayer, renewal, relationship and love.
And Benny ..... Well, Benny comes to the lake, fully equipped, with hope. And because he has such faith, love and trust in his father, he leaves the lake - every single time - with a fish. Big or small, it doesn't matter. What matters is that he placed his hope in the right place.
Do we?
