Life Lessons Learned from Fishing

This past week, my son and I traveled to the Crooked Creek fishing area in Hillsville, Virginia. I cherish the times I get to spend bonding with my son while reeling in a great catch. It combines two of my favorite activities, fishing and enjoying nature with my family. Being in nature is also a humbling experience that I like to share with him in the hopes that he can learn valuable lessons and leave the trip with more than just a fresh catch.

Abundant with mountains and streams, Hillsville is a great location to experience serenity and a backdrop that only God himself could create. I could not help but be reminded of Genesis 1. I used this time to teach my son about creation and how God made everything in this world. From the streams filled with fish to the land we sat on – land and sea were created on the second day. The blue skies and warm summer weather this week were a gift as well.

Between casts, my son and I discussed the importance of our relationship with Jesus Christ and the role we both played in strengthening this. Jesus Christ gave his life for all of the world to experience forgiveness for our sins. Therefore, he lives in our hearts so that we may change our behavior. Our behavior has to change so that we all can become like Him.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

In Galatians 5:22-23, we are reminded of the importance of living in the Spirit. To live in the Spirit is to become a disciple of Christ and to have the Holy Spirit within.

The sport of fishing also holds valuable lessons to learn as a child. The only way to be successful at fishing is with patience. Not only is patience the key to catching a prize fish, but it is also a trait that should be practiced regularly in everyday scenarios. Patience when working with others will go a long way and aid in success.

I also used this time with my son to reflect on the sport of fishing and how to be excellent at it. I encouraged him to strive for excellence in fishing and to continue this passion in all that he does in life, through faith.

We took the time to learn how to use the right sized hook – in his case a size 6 or 8, and how to utilize a bobber to help catch. I taught him about the different types of bait-worms and power baits for the various fish we were hoping to catch. This time around, we found the most success with peach salmon power bait and night crawlers.

We went back to this spot 3 times in one week to practice and each time, he seemed to enjoy it more and more. These are the moments with my son that I will truly cherish for a lifetime.

This article was originally published on MarkSmithCIU.org