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Learning from the Littles


EDITORIALS AND COLUMNS




JUL 20, 2024

DAVE MYERS

Everyday Faith

Anyone I know who has grandkids will say that having the grandkids around and being able to spend time with them is simply the best, and I’ve been blessed to experience that.

But, as the young kids start to become a little older and express interests in areas that match my own, well, that takes it to a whole new level!

Such is the case with my older two grandsons, who are 6 and 5.

Recently, my wife and I have been able to have the grandkids at our place, and one of the things that those two boys have taken to is fishing. Both of them are obsessed with it. Much of the day is spent at the water, fishing for anything that will bite.

In the process, they’ve learned how to cast, untangle their own line, bait their own hook, and take the fish off the hook.

As the boys left our house the last time, each of them expressed the desire to do a fishing trip with Grandpa.

My mind started whirling. My wife and I were going to be camping and fishing in the Upper Peninsula for a few days, and, if we planned it just right, we might be able to coordinate with my daughter so that the boys could join me for part of our trip.

My wife pitched the idea to my daughter, and, sure enough, we were able to coordinate so that I could take the boys on their first overnight fishing trip.

I had big plans for the opportunity.

We were camping near the Two Hearted River in the U.P., so I figured that would be a perfect place to fish. We would be in beautiful country to begin with, and fishing together on such an iconic trout stream would be perfect.

We put together a menu, made sure the kids had their outdoor apparel, and started planning where we should fish on the river.

As I thought about where to fish, it seemed like the mouth of the Two Hearted would be the perfect place. The river parallels Lake Superior for quite a stretch, has sand dunes, a beach to walk, and lots of beautiful rocks to look for. Because the shoreline of the river is a vast area next to the dunes, snags would be next to impossible fishing there.

I figured that, once I picked the boys up, we could make a stop at the falls at Tahquamenon in the evening and, if time allowed the following day, we could probably go to Oswald’s Bear Ranch, too. It was quite a bit to do in a short, one-day timespan, but I figured it was all so close, it was doable.

Long story short, the only time we had to fish was in the morning. We set an alarm and drove to the mouth of the Two Hearted to have our fishing adventure. We hiked across the suspension bridge in the rustic campground to get over to the beach side of the river, where we would fish.

As we got ourselves into position along the beachy shoreline of the river, the boys hopped into casting. After a few minutes, Mitch, the 5-year-old, decided he was more interested in catching the minnows that he could see right next to the shore.

He dropped his pole, got out his minnow net, and commenced to chasing minnows up and down the riverbank. When he did catch minnows, he preserved them in the moat of the sandcastle that he made.

Jeffrey, the 6-year-old, cast up and down the river, with no bites. We saw several fish surface or jump, but not one fish took his bait.

But a butterfly came fluttering by him at one point, and he could soon be seen chasing the butterfly up the sand dune, zig-zagging along wherever the butterfly went.

Mitch had his face practically down inside the moat as he watched his minnows, and Jeffrey was meandering his way up the dune, trying to catch the butterfly.

The layers of the fishing trip had been stripped away, and the complexity of the details of trying to make it work out were washed away, too.

As a grandpa, it was a perfect moment in time, watching them enjoy themselves in the simplicity of the big fishing trip.

It brought to my mind how Jesus said in Matthew 18: “… unless you change to become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

So what is it about children that Jesus was trying to reference? Why would Jesus say that about those who weren’t to be taken seriously or looked up to during that time in Jewish culture?

It’s about the simplicity of children. They trust what they hear. They aren’t trying to brag or boast … they are humble and dependent. Because of that, they are willing to be a student — they don’t put themselves on equal footing with God. They possess no extra layers or complexities, and their hearts and minds haven’t been hardened by the world.

Jesus pointed out that great faith is demonstrated in simplicity.

You don’t have to be scholarly, educated, hold a position of power or authority, or be a prominent anything. You simply need to believe in him and confess it with your mouth (Romans 10:9).

I’m so glad that the boys and I took that fishing trip together, not because of what I imparted to them about fishing or being an outdoorsman, but because of the precious moment we shared and what they reminded me of.

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