When I was twelve years old and living in rural Iowa I got into fishing. I had a fishing pole and some basic tackle. I would ride my bike to a local farmer’s pond and fish for large mouth bass. While I was not reeling in one fish after another, I did catch enough to keep me interested.
One day my mother offered to drive me to a farmer’s pond. She wanted to fish but all I had was a bamboo pole besides my fancy fishing equipment. No problem for her. At the pond she put a worm on the hook attached to the line of the bamboo pole. She found an outcropping into the pond and stood there with her pre-historic fishing gear.
It wasn’t long before my mother began catching fish. One after another she hauled them in. Meanwhile I was still trying to get a nibble. By the time we decided to leave my mother caught over a half-dozen large mouth bass and a few sun fish. I had caught nothing. I gave up fishing that day.
When Jesus called the disciples he instructs them to “Come, follow me” and then says “I’ll show you how to fish for people” (Mark 1:17 CEB). The NRSV says “I will make you fish for people.” The NIV says, “I will send you out to fish for people.”
I like the translation of the Common English Bible because we know over the next few years this is exactly what Jesus is going to do with these men and women. He will teach them the good news of God in word and deed. Approaching the gospel of Mark with this understanding, let’s learn how we can fish for people.
In late July, Kara and I drove to Jersey City to meet Stephany and Freydell for the first time. Our minds filled with questions as we drove down 208. What are we doing? Who are these girls that left their homes and risked their own lives to seek asylum in the United States? For us the empty nest had finally arrived, and now we were considering becoming parents to a 17-year old and an 18-year old girls. Two of our children would be in college the following month. With college tuition payments there’s not much extra money, and now we’re considering taking on the additional costs of two more teenagers? Nothing about welcoming into our home two young women who spoke little English made much sense, but we continued on our way not sure where this journey would take us.
As we got closer to Jersey City, a calm feeling came over me while a thought struck me. I glanced at Kara and said how blessed we have been. Throughout our married life we’ve experienced hardships and times when we weren’t sure how we’d get by, but every time God provided. Maybe it wasn’t the way we thought but God provided nevertheless. Kara agreed. We kept driving. Little did we realize how much more blessed we’d be as Stephany and Freydell became part of our family. Seeds of risk became blessings in abundance.
In the Gospel of Matthew (25:14-30) Jesus tells the parable of the owner who gives to three servants varying amounts of talents (a talent was a great deal of money like a million dollars today). To one servant he gave five talents. To another he gave two talents. And to the third servant he gave one talent. Without hesitation the two servants took risks with their talents and double their talents. They put their talents to work and received a good return. The servant that received one talent did nothing. He buried his talent. Later, the owner returns. He praised the two servants for the return they received calling them trustworthy. The third servant who buried his talent he dealt with harshly saying “Take the talent and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this ‘play-it-safe’ who won’t go out on a limb” (21:28 The Message).
That’s been my experience with the abundance we receive from God. It’s not meant to be buried or kept for one’s own use. God has entrusted us to use God’s blessings in similar risky, generous ways. Many times that requires us to take a risk with the abundant blessings we have received; to risk our time and our abilities; risked the most. And get rid of this ‘play-it-safe’ who won’t go out on a limb” (21:28 Msg).
That’s been my experience with the abundance we receive from God. It’s not meant to be buried or kept for one’s own use. God has entrusted us to use God’s blessings in similar risky, generous ways. Many times that requires us to take a risk with the abundant blessings we have received; to risk our time and our abilities; to risk our money and our other financial resources. Seeds of risk become blessings in abundance.
This blog is my risk. People have encouraged me to do more with my writing. They tell me that I have interesting insights and ideas that should be shared. Truth be told, I am hesitant because I don’t like to share my ideas for fear of criticism. It’s much easier to keep things to myself. But I realize that I’m not doing anyone any favors by burying my thoughts, ideas and creativity in the ground. And so let the journey begin. Seeds of risk…I hope they become blessings in abundance for others.
Nathan Busker 