July 8 – “It’s difficult for me to know …”

We took the traditional cousins’ fishing trip the other day.  That meant setting up one of those tent-shade things (Nathan had one) for some shade at a little canal fishing area in Jamaica Beach.  It also meant having snacks and plenty of water.  It must have been 160 degrees out there. 

All in all the trip would have to be considered a successful one.  Every one of the grandkids caught a fish of some kind (if you count Luke’s shrimp that he realized was on the end of his line and the piggie that Noa lifted out of the bait bucket with the dip net).  All eight of them seemed quite happy with their individual results, and all are looking forward to the fish fry at lunch today. 

When the fishing part of the day ended and everyone headed home, Nathan and Josiah and I stuck around to use up the last of the bait and load up the truck.  Josiah made a pretty good catch – a nice sized croaker – but he had something philosophical to say about the whole fishing experience. Ready for this one?

“It’s difficult for me to know that something has to die for me to eat.”

Wow.  Now that is a deep thought for a six year old.  It’s a pretty profound way of saying it as well.  That wasn’t the only expression of concern.  Every time he reeled in his line and it still had the bait on it, he loudly proclaimed, “We have a survivor.”  Now how do you cast a survivor back out to eventual certain death?  We don’t want survivor shrimp, Josiah.  We want willing sacrifice shrimp that result in keeper fish. 

We were all tired after the trip and the extended time in the heat.  The two girls and occasionally Luke crawled into Uncle Nathan’s lap and watched videos of people opening tiny toys.  For hours.  And I think good ol’ Uncle Nathan even watched for two or three.  Minutes.

Romans 13:7 says, “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

Father, thank you for fun times and for tiny little creatures that help us catch bigger ones so that we can eat.  Amen.