Casting and Cares

I shared this with a ladies' group and thought perhaps you might like it, also.  As summer teases us, it's a good time to think about good times.  

Today’s Bible verse calls up a very vivid memory for me.

I can see my 10-year-old self on the banks of Jackson Park lagoon. I’m leaning against a tree and watching my grandpa as he digs around the tackle box.

“You want to make sure you have the right lure and the right sinkers.” He is talking more to himself than me, but I’m trying to really listen. I’d rather be swimming. But the pool is unexpectedly closed and I said I would fish with him instead.

Truth be told, I never really liked the whole process of fishing. First of all, there is the hook which can get caught in your finger – which I experienced at a much younger age. Then, there is the catching of the smelly fish which … smell. Finally, there is the cleaning of the smelly fish which is even smellier. I didn’t mind eating them, however, but the rest of the process was not my favorite.

Being with my grandpa, however, was always a treasure. He was 6’2” of stories, patience, and love. We spent countless hours walking around this lagoon from my earliest childhood.

And so I succumbed on this summer day to fish with him. Little did I know this would be one of the last opportunities for such a magical day.

“You remember how to put the sinkers on? You do that part and I’ll get the hook set on the other pole.”

I did remember. You had to have them in the right place and then clinch them together or you couldn’t properly cast the line. It wouldn’t go far enough out and it wouldn’t sink far enough down. Casting was a very important step in fishing.

I clinched the sinkers with the pinchers and carefully re-wound the line on my pole and set it down. I reached over to Grandpa’s pole and set his sinkers, also.

“Well, looky there. You got that perfect. Thanks.” The sun behind him was shaded by the ever-present hat cocked jauntily on his head. I beamed in his approval. Even now, almost 50 years later, I can feel his love wrap around me like a blanket.

“Ready to cast?”

Here’s the thing about casting. You have to do it. Willfully, purposefully, and confidently. This is not a namby-pamby action. You have to cast with strength or your hook will hook the tree above you, the grass beside you, yourself. I speak from experience.

This time, I cast perfectly. I absolutely flipped my wrist, let loose the reel, and watched the hook and line soar out over the pond.

I don’t remember catching anything that day except a sunburn. But I remember that cast. I’m sure it’s the best cast I ever casted. I’m also sure I have never fished again.

I know what you’re thinking. What verse are you talking about? Being fishers of men? Being called like John and Andrew? Where is she going?

Actually, here is the verse that brought that lovely memory:

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) Cast all your cares on Him, for he careth for you.

Now you understand the casting. Picture yourself with confidence, strength, and determination literally casting your cares to Jesus as if He is standing beside you like my Grandpa. Tall, strong, capable just waiting to help you, waiting to tell you how proud He is of you.

If you can’t quite picture that, let’s read it in The Passion Translation:

1 Peter 5:7 (TPT) Pour out all your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.

In our culture of independence, especially for “modern” women, it’s hard to be vulnerable enough to ask for help. But do it. Just try it. Find yourself a place to pray and pour out the whole entire set of problems. Big and small. He has time to listen. Your problems are not a bother to Him because they are too small. He never said that He only cares about big problems. In fact, cancer that needs to be healed has the same capacity for a miracle as the stretched budget and the healing in your heart over a friend who just betrayed you and the situation at home or work that you can’t seem to solve. If it’s your concern, He cares about it. Talk to Him.

What have you got to lose?

It might just be that one prayer time, that one specific connection to Jesus will live on in your memory like a sunny day at a lagoon that the thought of makes you feel heard, cared for, and loved.