John 21, Catchin’ are ye?

Doodle was my buddy’s grandpa. Doodle was a small fella, weighing about 120 pounds (with rocks in his pocket). He had a fun manner, loved to laugh, and was always ready to fish and hunt. He wore a tan bucket hat, and he had extremely small teeth. His family said his adult teeth never came in. I’m not sure about that. But when we would roll up on people fishing, he’d smile and say in his thick southern accent:

“Catchin’ are ye?”

Doodle’s greeting echoes a scene from John 21: the disciples who’d been out all night fishing are coming ashore; they are about 100 yards from the shore. And they hear someone from the bank yell, “Catchin’ are ye?” Nope, they say, hadn’t caught anything all night, the fella on shore tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat, they humor him, and can’t even haul in the massive amount of fish; they caught 153 keepers. Then they realize it’s the Risen Lord Jesus; Peter jumps into the water to hurry to meet him, while the others haul in the net and bring the boat back.

I wonder how many times I’ve tried to do things my own way and failed miserably. When our nets are empty and we aren’t having any success, we need to stop, pray, and listen to God. That voice from the shore might tell us to change up what we are doing. As the old saying goes, when you are going in one direction and not getting anywhere, it’s time to change directions.

‘The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. ‘
Psalms 32:8

Stop, Pray, and Listen

If you find yourself stuck or unsure, I encourage you to take a moment today to pause, pray, and listen about your next step, or jot down your thoughts in a journal. We should ask God to advise us, ask him what we need to learn from our current situation. Simply being obedient and asking the Holy Spirit for guidance can open us up to new possibilities we hadn’t considered.