PAY IT FORWARD

The sun was just starting to dip below the tree tops and a fresh evening breeze began to dance its way down the river cooling the back of my neck. The swift current of water pushed the waders tight against the back of my legs causing small rocks to tumble around my feet. Each step had to be methodicaly so as not to release any of the river’s debris downstream and alert my prey. A fallen tree at the river’s edge created the perfect rapids that led into a fishy looking pool.

I motioned my fly rod forward and back several times before letting the fly land in the rapids just above the pool. As the fly drifted through the current into the pool, I picked up the slack pulling the fly slightly across the current. Eventually, the fly was clear of the pool with no fish interested in devouring it. My next cast landed in the same place, however, this time as the fly drifted into the pool, there was a quick tug on the line pulling it tight. I quickly raised the rod setting the hook on the feisty brown trout. It jetted from bank to bank trying to spit the fly from its mouth. Eventually, the trout tired and I pulled it close to my legs, unhooked the fly from its mouth, took a picture, and released it back into the current.

For the next forty-five minutes I continued this process working my way downstream, hooking ten more brown trout and releasing all of them. The gentleman who taught me to fly fish releases everything he catches, and I follow that practice as well. The majority of fly fishermen I’ve met also catch and release everything they hook. Decades of these practices has allowed the trout population to flourish. This doesn’t mean everyone catches buckets full of fish; hence the term fishing, not catching. However, the opportunity is there, if the fish is willing.

Luke 6:38 NLT Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.