Patched Netting
Like most fisheries in Mexico, Lake Comedero is heavily netted for tilapia. Navigating the lake in a bass boat requires great skill. That same level of skill is required of tilapia fishermen in maintaining their nets. You can’t net fish effectively if your net is filled with gaping holes.
I once watched a fisherman patching holes in his net. His fingers moved with ease as he weaved and knotted. The Hispanic people never cease to amaze me with their ability to repair or repurpose items we would consider trash. But, from time to time, you come across an item even they have deemed worn out and worthless.
As we fished our way around a rocky point, the morning sun cleared a high peak of the bordering Sierra Madre Mountain range, its rays illuminating a discarded net. It was draped across the brittle branches of a leafless bramble that protruded from the rocky shore. Misshapen by wear, it presented as a shimmering spiderweb. My thoughts were instantly drawn into its clutch and trapped there.
I saw myself as a net draped across a lifetime. Lives, like nets, require constant inspection and maintenance. My life is filled with patchwork. But, unlike that discarded net, my patches are good for eternity. I am weaved through and through with the saving grace of Jesus.
How will I use my net?
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
Beautiful thoughts. It reminded me of a mission trip into Mexico many years ago that I was blessed to be a part of. Children shared a big bucket of 1/2 and 1/4 crayons, paper wrapping long gone, and most were encrusted with the fine dust of their landscape. My heart has never been the same since watching one little boy’s hands digging through the bucket for a certain color. A friend sitting nearby realized he wanted the color he was using. He took the small nub of a crayon he had and broke it in half and shared it. So many children would have deemed this bucket as nothing but trash. To them, it had great value – and they shared it.