Last week, I went with my wife, children, and grandchildren to Northern Wisconsin on a fishing trip. We had a very nice time together sharing the same summer cottage on a large lake called Chippewa Flowage near Hayward, Wisconsin. Each day seemed to be more enjoyable than the next. God blessed us with good weather, good fishing, and good company.

On the last day of the vacation, as we were fishing on a portion of the lake, the fishing was not as good. We were hoping to find a spot that might result in a fishing frenzy (catching a large amount of fish in a short period of time).

My wife and children are actually better fishermen than me. I simply like to cast the fishing line with a bobber attached and hope something bites the hook, while taking in God’s beautiful nature sitting on the pontoon boat we rented.

On that last day, my bobber quickly disappeared under the water and did not resurface. This usually means the line is caught in the sea weeds. But on this day, the line was moving, meaning I caught a fish, maybe a large fish. Much to my surprise I caught a pretty large northern, about 14 inches in length. As I excitedly reeled it in, I was shocked to find the line had also caught a large bluegill fish at the same time and the two were sort of tied together side by side by the fishing line.

As I untied the bluegill, the northern fell to the floor of the boat. I was able to release both fish to the lake without an injury to either and, have a “fish” story that will last me for many years to come.

As I thought about this, I thought about how Jesus holds us in His protective arms when life’s ups and downs tend to place us in unexpected circumstances. But the wonderful thing about our loving Lord is that He does not let go when we need and turn to Him. He keeps us under His protection. What a blessing! Needless to say, it makes my fishing story seam meaningless in comparison.

The noun, rumination, means a deep considered thought about something.

-By Deacon Tom Gryzbek