Fishing and Friendship

A fishing illustration
Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine and the conversation turned to friendships. Because of the strong connection many in society seem to have with their electronic devices, the art of conversing with real people has been lost. It seems many have a hard time making friends or even understanding what it means to be a friend resulting in an epidemic of loneliness. As we talked, my friend gave a great example on how we are to behave as friends, one that I hope she doesn't mind me borrowing and elaborating on!
She shared with me that while she was praying about the topic of friendship, the Lord gave her the illustration of fishing and how it connects with friendship. Now, I think it only fair to warn you that since I don't fish, I am not acquainted with many of the terms but I do know the basic idea.
Cast your line
In order to catch a fish, you have to cast your line, you can't expect to catch anything with your pole still laying at the bottom of your boat. It requires you to take action by using said pole. Once that happens there is a chance that you may get a nibble or hopefully a bite. Sometimes the wait is long and there are moments when you think you might have a bite only to discover that the bait is gone leaving you empty. However, there are those moments when you nab the big one, I mean the one you have been dreaming of your whole life. You leave that fishing spot feeling happy with a soul that is so full it could burst. Those are considered the best fishing days!
Now let's reel this in (yes that pun was completely intended!) and talk about the connection between fishing and people. We are told that "a man that hath friends must show himself friendly" Prov. 18:24. This indicates work, we are to be intentional about seeking others out. Friendships usually don't just happen, they take time to cultivate. Anything worthwhile takes effort. I am blessed to have several friends in my life but each of them took work. I reached out to them, they reached out to me. We text one another, we remember birthdays and special occasions. We pray for each other and make ourselves available. We share each others burdens and celebrate our joys.
The first hello
Just like we will never catch a fish if we never cast our line, we will never gain a friend if we never go outside our comfort zone. Sometimes we need to say the first hello, give the first compliment or extend the first handshake. It would be foolish of us to say we don't have any friends if we have not put forth the effort to make ourselves approachable or approached anyone ourselves. I know that to do this requires us to open ourselves up to someone else and that means opening up to love as well as pain.  We can't let the fear of what might be prevent us from enjoying what can be. Jesus calls us His friends and continues to open Himself to us even though we have disappointed Him so often. To love is to experience joy as well as loss, but the joy will always outweigh the loss. There will always be differences between friends, no one is just alike and that is what makes the relationships interesting. We should embrace our differences and enjoy the diversity in our relationships. I have been enriched by the people in my life because they are not like me, they have challenged me, encouraged me and made me a better person. Of course we should never be with others who will draw us away from the Lord but seek to be with those who are walking the same path. We are to encourage each other, lift up one who has fallen and help others reach their full potential. I am so thankful for the people God has placed in my life because I would not be the same without them but it often required me to reach out and say hello.
Baitnappers
Just like in fishing, there are times when we cast our line only to discover that a smart fish has taken our bait leaving us with nothing but empty hopes. There are people out there that simply see you as someone that can be used to help them gain something they needed; as soon as they have what they need you get dropped. It is hard to be used like that or find our you were merely the "rebound" friend. This is truly  a hurtful experience, believe me I have been there many times, but we need to realize that it is not representational of the whole human race. Baitnappers (yes, I think I just made that word up) will always be around and in time we may be able to spot them, but let us never stop casting our net simply out of fear of being hurt. Let's be willing to put ourselves out there, to look around outside our circle and take a chance. This may require us to put down our phone in order to see the people around us, it may mean we have less time to do our favorite hobby because we are spending the afternoon with a friend, or it may be that we need to train ourselves to be more thoughtful by sending a text or note to someone to let them know we care. What we invest our time in shows what we care most about, Christ's time on earth was spent with others. We are here to care.
Fishers of men
God has called us to make a difference, to be the light in the world and spread His love to those around us. We can't do that if we stay within our comfort zone or disconnect from the world around us. We need to be in tune with Him and allow Him to guide our steps each day. Above all, it will always require us to be willing to be used, to cast our line into the pool around us. We may never know who we will "catch" and how it will make a difference in their life. So many good things have come from a simple hello, let's cast our line today and be fishers of men.