Is It Time to Leave the Safety of the Harbor?

I recently read this quote from Henry Ford, “One of the greatest discoveries a person makes is to find they can do what they were afraid to do.”

It got me thinking of all the men I know who once felt that way about fly fishing. They approached it fearfully, but many took the challenge and found it to be a rewarding experience in more ways than they could imagine. You may be just such a person.

To me, fly fishing offers great adventure, as well as the challenge to continue to grow. Not only do trout live in some of the most beautiful places on earth but fishing for them provides a great workout for the health of your body, mind and soul. And for me as a FATC member, the biggest benefit is the fellowship and the lasting friendships formed while fly fishing.

Sadly, although many men have an interest, they don’t even try to learn to fly fish. There’s also some men who have taken a FATC fly fishing class, but decide not to pursue it beyond the indoor classes. For some, but I’m sure not all, the reason may be some form of fear of failure or they just settle for what they’ve got even though the adventure and potential to grow and improve seems to be calling for them.

I was wondering if many men aren’t fearful in a similar way in their walk with God, in maturing and growing in their spiritual life. They seem to settle on warming a church pew and being content with the Bible stories they learned and processed in their adolescent minds back in their elementary school days.

Oswald Chambers in his famous daily devotional, My Utmost for his Highest wrote, “Be determined to know more… If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to severe them and send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great tide of his purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself…

I was wondering about your thoughts on Oswald Chambers’ message, “You have to get past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself.” The harbor might have been an appropriate place for you when you were a kid, but isn’t it time to sail out into the adventure of the deeper waters?

There was a point in my life when I choose to get to know God better by actually reading his Word (The Bible) instead of just going by what I thought I heard when I was in elementary school. I also got involved in Bible and book studies with other men. I’m so glad I “left the safe and comfortable harbor.” My journey with God helped me know him better, and know myself better. It has given me gratitude for his amazing grace and his love for me. And I found purpose and mission and adventure in the process.

You may not agree, but I think God created us to have a close personal relationship with him. It seems to me to be a form of honor, respect and worship to seek to know him better and search for the work and mission that the Bible says he has prepared for us to do.

To put it more in fly fishing terms: Do you sometimes feel like the rising trout who came up to take a closer look at something enticing floating on the surface of the water. Let’s face it —you desire more than just those tiny nymphs and larva that the stream keeps pushing your way. Oh, but you can only dream about a hopper, a cicada —or hope beyond all hope —a mouse.

I hope this gives you something to think about. Perhaps you’ve been feeling God tugging at your heart lately or trying to get your attention. If you would like to share your thoughts—the good, the bad, and the ugly ones on the FATC FORUM, please feel to do so. And feel free to give me a call if you want to discuss a possible Bible or book study. I’m also very interested in hearing what God has been doing in your life.