I went fishing the other day which is not unusual in itself, but this trip was very special. I went to Cay Sal which is a small island chain in the Bahamas. I cannot go to Cay Sal whenever I desire to go. The weather has to cooperate and the fishing conditions must be good in order to justify making the long run over there. I can leave my dock in the Florida Keys and the boat ride is approximately two and one half hours one way. It is 76 miles to the place I fish and when the wind is blowing it can be a rough boat ride especially while crossing the Gulf Stream. The fishing this time of year is generally superb over there, in part due to it not being heavily fished because of the difficulty and expense involved with getting there and in part because the water temperature is ideal this time of year for fishing.
I always try to get a crew of at least three fisherman and optimally four for a trip this rigorous. The fish are big, wild, and mean over there and it takes a full crew, (hopefully with some experience), to handle the challenges. At a minimum one person has to drive the boat while the angler fights the fish and reels it in and another leaders and gaffs the fish. Often several huge fish get hooked up at the same time and that can cause pandemonium, (especially with a green crew).
I had been monitoring the weather for several weeks via the Internet and saw a window of opportunity on Tuesday. I called around and started trying to put my crew together several days in advance. Sea and wind conditions appeared to be optimal to go across on Tuesday and the tide would be falling perfectly by the time we arrived at our fishing hole. The moon was also rising and that is always good too.
As I called around to my hard core fishing buddies, one by one they opted not to go for one reason or another. One had the day off, but had been moving for a month and wanted to get finished, another owned his own business and could have taken off, but had some running around that he needed to do. Another was a doctor down in Miami to provide the medical needs for the Super Bowl and was concerned that someone might call him, another feared it would be too cold and rough crossing over, and on and on I tried with no success to lure them to go even offering to pay for the entire trip myself, but it was all to no avail. I was frustrated because at the time I was a CEO to a multi-million dollar company and was working on 165 projects representing literally tens of millions of dollars, not to mention personal priorities. In short I am busy too, but I was making’ time for this, a trip of a lifetime. Arghhh!
I kept calling though and it started coming together. Finally I was successful and although I did not have an experienced crew by any stretch of the imagination, I got three crew members in addition to me who were to a person ready, eager, and willing. We had the best day of fishing imaginable. We hooked up three Blue Marlin and successfully landed and released one, (a tremendous feat in itself with such a green crew). We also caught five trophy size Wahoo and filled the ice box to its capacity. We started fishing at 9:00 AM and were done by one o’clock and heading back home. We had plenty of laughs, excitement, fun, good fellowship, fresh fish to eat, and just a really great time!
When I returned several of my buddies who did not go called for a report and immediately became SICK that they did not go. I gave them all some Wahoo steaks to help soothe them, but then showed them photos of our trophies and they got sick again. Almost to a person they were lamenting the fact that they did not just rearrange their busy schedule somehow and go on a trip of a lifetime, but it was too late. I suppose every one of them could have gone had they really made the effort. I know that all the work that I put aside for the day is still there; my business did not fail because I was out for the day, the roof did not cave in, and guess what? The sun still came up like it does every morning even though I went fishing for a day.
Today I looked outside and the wind is howling, the seas are crashing against my dock, and even if I dearly wanted to go back, it would be impossible to make the trip under these conditions. The long range weather forecast is not favorable as far out as it is posted. My buddies have just missed out, plain and simple, who knows when they may get that opportunity again.
This reminds me of how people put off making a decision for Christ. They go about their lives as though there are always going to be unlimited opportunities to take advantage of God’s offer of a full pardon for our sins. The Bible is clear that time is running out; not just for the Rapture, but for all of us as we all have an appointment with death. We might be called home today, next week, next month, or whenever. The Bible states that life is like a vapor, here today and then it disappears. Just as with our fishing trip there is just a narrow window of opportunity and we need to take it in order to enjoy the wonders that await God’s children.
The Bible states plainly that eye has not seen nor has ear heard the wonderful things God has prepared for His children to enjoy throughout eternity in paradise with Him, but we must put aside the busy pressures of everyday life in order to get on board with Him for the trip of a lifetime, or I should say eternity.
Someone has said that opportunity is just like waiting for a taxi cab. When a taxi pulls up we have a decision to make. Either we get in or we wait for another. Maybe we will get a second chance and maybe we will not. It might be a long wait for another and then again an opportunity like this may never come along again Don’t get caught waiting for a taxi that may never come; the very last taxi may impatiently be waiting for you right now.
Don’t let the pressures of this world make you put off coming to Christ. You can make that decision this very moment wherever you are. Just ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins. Follow Him from this moment on and get on the glorious trip to heaven. Hell is forever just like heaven is forever. Don’t spend eternity tortured and lamenting the fact that you could have had it all had you just taken advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime, a free trip to heaven paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The last words of Jesus as recorded in the Bible are as follows:
Rev. 22:20
“Surely I am coming quickly.”