Don't worry. I'm a professional.

Over this past week I have been stopped dead in my tracks by three sermons that were preached, by three different people, on the same text. The text was all about fishing (which if you know me, keeps me interested). The scripture was showing us how Jesus sent Simon Peter back out in the boat and he caught more fish than his boat could even hold. Ok. That's stinkin awesome. Can I get a praise the Lord? But obviously that's not the part that God wrecked my life with. I know God can bless us with a "huge catch". My problem is I feel like it is my job to set God up to bless me with catching the mother load of all fish. I always lay my plans out and say God sanctify these plans.. bless these plans.. because obviously I know what I'm doing with my life. I'm a professional at living my life. Just like Simon Peter was a professional fisherman... He knew a whole lot more about fishing than some carpenter/preacher ever dream of knowing. In this passage Simon Peter felt the call from Jesus and listened. He said you know what no matter how tired/hungry/ticked-off I am... I am going to drop my pride. I am going to stray away from my regular/comfortable fishing spots and do what this crazy preacher tells me to do. We all know the story... He catches the mother fish load. But wait a second it's more than that. Jesus say's I am going to change what you are fishing for and the way you do it. He say's I will make you fishers of men... under one stipulation. Drop your nets. Drop everything you have ever known. Drop everything you were raised to do. Drop your career and your steady income. And follow me. What? Are you crazy? Jesus did you see what you did tonight? We were great together. We caught so many fish. We could be a great team. We can be rich. Let's go into business together. No Simon Peter left it all, and followed him. After that decision he was consumed with purpose and passion. He knew that he was living for something. He knew that what he was doing was bigger than keeping the family business going. What he got to do by letting go of his plans, was help make such a change in the world that we still remember him 2000 years later. I think it's about time to stop asking God to sanctify my plans... and to sanctify me.

-trav