Joy Treasure

Hey friends! I hope you are having a great start to your week so far. There is nothing better than to be knowing more of Christ in each new day! I pray that is where you are in your life this week. Please know I am working on getting Manna Monday's and Free Art Fridays started again. Be patient with me. Since my dad's illness, I have been trying to get things rolling again. God has been so GOOD to us during this time and HE is STILL showing Himself so mighty in this time in our lives.

I don't think I posted this back in June so I thought it might be a great time to share with you all before the year gets away from me. One of the things you probably would not expect me to treasure is fly-fishing. I know, I can't believe it either! What a surprise to learn something new in my adult life! I love it because I get to spend time with my husband all day and learn something new with him. He likes to hunt and I like to paint. So most times we are doing opposite things at conflicting times. While out west one summer, we were afforded the opportunity to try our hands at something new.....fly-fishing. I was hooked! No punt intended! I loved it from first bite!

There is nothing like standing in the water, listening to the current and feeling the breeze on your skin. The only thing you focus on is finding where the fish are and bringing one home to the kitchen! The kitchen would be the net, not my frying pan. I catch and release the fish!

This past summer, my husband and I went on a fly-fishing trip for our anniversary. We enjoyed this area and loved the fishing. It's always fun to try a new river and see what you will find there. On this trip, we both noticed we had improved in throwing out the line from our fly-rods. What a great milestone for us! It was an awesome feeling not to feel clumsy with the equipment like we did the first day we tried our hands at it.

I was determined to get this fish!

Our fishing guide is showing me something about this rainbow trout, but I can't remember what it was! I was too excited to reel it in and see it up close!

What a beaut this fish is!

One of the things I kept thinking about all day was how we as believers are to be fishers of men. As a fisherman, you have to know where the fish are and go to them. Then, you keep throwing the flies out trying to see if they will take a bite. If they take a bite, then you set the hook. I missed A LOT of fish that day because I didn't set the hook quick enough. It didn't matter how long it took me to catch a fish, it mattered that I kept fishing. As believers we don't stay on the side of the bank and say, "See, down there, that's where the fish are." We have to go to them. We have to throw the line out. Some will take a bite and some will not. But we can't give up and stop trying. It's not us who save people, it's God. He is the one who has the power to save. We are simply to throw the line out in obedience and share the truth of Christ.