There is an old saying that says, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” I have heard this phrase many times in my life, mostly from old football coaches. Usually when this phrase was implemented the team wasn’t doing so well and needed some truth to help them out. What was meant by this was that, even though we had started the game horribly we had the opportunity to turn it around. This logic applies to not only bass fishing, but to life as well. When we start off on the wrong foot, how do we turn it around and finish strong?
Landing the Trophy
It was a chilly February morning when my Father-in-law and I set out to a favorite lake of ours in Texas. On the way there we ran into a bit of traffic that ended up causing an hour delay getting to our destination. I remember thinking, “Great now we’ll miss the early morning bite!” as we slowly crept down the highway. It was all I could do to keep my head about me and remain positive.
After enduring the torture of the paved gauntlet, we finally made it to the lake and headed to our favorite spot. The water being warmed by a power plant, the temperature averaged around the bass’ spawning temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit. My plan was to start with the transitional areas, which are areas that are between the deep water where bass winter, and the shallower areas where they spawn. Then after surveying the transitional areas if they weren’t there, move toward the shallower areas.
This had been the first fishing trip of 2018 and I hadn’t fished in a couple months, so my timing and sensitivity were a little rusty. Right off the bat, I ended up missing two really good bites fishing a lipless crankbait. So, not only did we have a bad start on the road, but we now had a bad start on the water! After forgiving myself for the missed opportunities because well, that’s part of fishing, I kept on towards catching nice bass and having a good time. Still fishing the lipless crankbait, I cast it back amongst the stumps in a transitional area.
Then, as luck would have it I was blessed with another bite! As I reeled in what was shaping up to be a turning point for the trip, the short shank treble hooks that came with the bait failed to stay hooked and the bass threw the lure. “Oh, come on!” I said as I was reeling in the slack line. It was a punch to the nose watching that bass swim away freely.
Mustering some broken pride, I cast the lipless crankbait out once more into the stump field. BAM! I’m hooked up again. I play the fish around a stump, letting him work himself free then reel him toward the boat. With each crank of the reel my heart pounded faster. Closer, closer, cloooossser! Then with a jump, quick as lightning my lure flung out of his mouth. This bass followed his predecessor’s lead and threw the lure as well. Talk about more salt in the wound, two decent size bass lost back to back.
At this point I’m remaining hopeful but feeling pretty low. Apparently, I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, however the plan just couldn’t be followed through. This is the point where I assess my options. At that time my options where: keep trying with the same lure, change lures, change retrieval methods, pray, or just go home and cry about it. I decided that going home and crying wasn’t actually an option, so I settled for prayer and to keep throwing the same lure.
We decided to move to another spot as the bass in the first area kind of played out. We found a great looking spot with some submerged grass that had just the right look. With the wind at our backs we drift fished down the grass line still throwing lipless crankbaits, ripping them through the grass. As I gave it a rip I felt an extra little tug, FISH ON! This time I was bound and determined to not let this one get the best of me. This bass gave a performance of a life time, jumping and dancing on the top of the water. At one point this bass jumped as the others had and fooled me into thinking I had lost him as I did the others but praise the Lord he remained hooked.
As my Father-in-law raised the netted bass, droplets of water that resembled diamonds dripped onto the deck of the boat complimenting the emerald green treasure that was now before me. It is hard to explain, after starting off horrible then catching this bass, it gave almost the same rush as catching my first bass (almost). The bass weighed in right at 4.25 lbs. not a lunker, but certainly nothing to roll your nose up at. It was the only bass caught that day, and it sure did feel great overcoming the odds and finishing strong.
At the time I didn’t quite get the message and upon editing the film I still struggled with what God intended for me to learn that day. It wasn’t until I reviewed the entire footage and thought about the trip as a whole that I figured out that even from a not so great start we ended the day pretty well. We spent some time together, we fished together, and we landed a bass together. As I thought more about it I wondered how this could translate into our lives or our walk with God. When we have great plans that get all messed up for one reason or another, and we fail. What do we do? How can we finish strong?
Finishing Strong with God
What does scripture have to offer in this realm? To answer this, we need to take a look at the apostle Paul. Before Paul became Paul, he went by Saul. From scripture we see Saul not only giving approval of Christian executions, but also that he went and began to destroy the church by systematically putting Christians in prison. In Acts 8:3 NIV it says that “Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” I’d say that is a pretty bad start to his story.
Then a little later in Acts 9:1-2 NIV we see that Saul “was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and 2asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way [Christianity], whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” Again, this is not a great start for Saul.
Being a Pharisee or a member of a Jewish sect that was strict in observance of religious ceremonies and practices, adherence to oral laws and traditions, he lived to uphold God’s laws. Saul believed in God, just not that Jesus was the messiah. So, we have a man that lived part of his life in direct opposition to God. If this was a fishing trip, this would be the part where your truck, boat, and trailer are totaled on the way to the lake. This is the worst possible way to live your life out. However, as we will see the best part is yet to come for Saul.
On Saul’s way to Damascus “… a light from Heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’” Acts 9:3-4 NIV. Saul bewildered asked who are you? The voice answered “‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 6 ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” Acts 9:5-6 NIV. Blinded and ordered to go to Damascus by God, Saul obeyed. Saul was later healed by Ananias as commanded by God, and after being healed, was baptized.
Paul later preached God’s message boldly, regardless of being threatened to be killed and later imprisoned for his unrelenting preaching. While in prison Paul writes to Timothy “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7. Paul having been introduced to Jesus, turned his life completely around. Instead of living in opposition to God, Paul boldly promoted God in His entirety until his death. Paul finished completely opposite of how he started. Paul finished not only strong, but exemplary.
How do I finish strong?
Through Paul’s example we see that it is true that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. For us to finish strong we need to understand that there is a God and He has sent a savior to deliver us from our punishment. In John Chapter 3 verse 16 we see that “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The First step in turning your life around is believing in Jesus and accepting him as your savior.
The next thing to understand is that it doesn’t matter how big or small your sin is, you can be forgiven. In God’s eyes all sin is weighed equally, whether you commit a little sin or a big sin you still have disobeyed God. Looking back at Paul, Paul went out and sought after Christians to imprison and kill because he did not know Jesus. Yet, we see Paul meet God on the road to Damascus, and upon meeting God Paul turned his life around. It is also important to know that God never took away Paul’s free will. Paul could have easily written off the encounter and continued in sin. However, Paul made a conscious effort to follow God after truly believing in Him.
Lastly, as Christians we need to understand that sometimes obstacles are good for us. Paul thought he was doing God’s work by rooting out the heretics [Christians]. As in Paul’s case God met him on the road and blinded him. This obstacle resulted in his baptism and placed Paul on the correct path of pleasing God. A lot of times we see trials as a nuisance or blame the devil for their occurrence. But what if they weren’t from the devil, what if God set that in your path to get you attention as he did Paul? More evidence of this comes with the story of Baalam in the book of numbers. This is a great story to fully understand God placed obstacles.
From these examples and other instances in the Bible we see God at work getting people’s attention. When we encounter instances like these we should definitely be testing the spirit and asking God why he is trying to get our attention. I know that for me personally God throws a lot of attention getters my way just like this specific day of fishing, so I can become more in tune with His voice and His will. The more we grow in our relationship with Him the more we are able to discern what He is trying to tell us.
In parting I hope that this little revelation that I have had and shared with you has helped you. We have all started out born sinners, which means we have all started out on the wrong foot. Just remember though, it’s not how your start, it’s how your finish. So, finish the best way you can, and finish with God.
Landing the Trophy
It was a chilly February morning when my Father-in-law and I set out to a favorite lake of ours in Texas. On the way there we ran into a bit of traffic that ended up causing an hour delay getting to our destination. I remember thinking, “Great now we’ll miss the early morning bite!” as we slowly crept down the highway. It was all I could do to keep my head about me and remain positive.
After enduring the torture of the paved gauntlet, we finally made it to the lake and headed to our favorite spot. The water being warmed by a power plant, the temperature averaged around the bass’ spawning temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit. My plan was to start with the transitional areas, which are areas that are between the deep water where bass winter, and the shallower areas where they spawn. Then after surveying the transitional areas if they weren’t there, move toward the shallower areas.
This had been the first fishing trip of 2018 and I hadn’t fished in a couple months, so my timing and sensitivity were a little rusty. Right off the bat, I ended up missing two really good bites fishing a lipless crankbait. So, not only did we have a bad start on the road, but we now had a bad start on the water! After forgiving myself for the missed opportunities because well, that’s part of fishing, I kept on towards catching nice bass and having a good time. Still fishing the lipless crankbait, I cast it back amongst the stumps in a transitional area.
Then, as luck would have it I was blessed with another bite! As I reeled in what was shaping up to be a turning point for the trip, the short shank treble hooks that came with the bait failed to stay hooked and the bass threw the lure. “Oh, come on!” I said as I was reeling in the slack line. It was a punch to the nose watching that bass swim away freely.
Mustering some broken pride, I cast the lipless crankbait out once more into the stump field. BAM! I’m hooked up again. I play the fish around a stump, letting him work himself free then reel him toward the boat. With each crank of the reel my heart pounded faster. Closer, closer, cloooossser! Then with a jump, quick as lightning my lure flung out of his mouth. This bass followed his predecessor’s lead and threw the lure as well. Talk about more salt in the wound, two decent size bass lost back to back.
At this point I’m remaining hopeful but feeling pretty low. Apparently, I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, however the plan just couldn’t be followed through. This is the point where I assess my options. At that time my options where: keep trying with the same lure, change lures, change retrieval methods, pray, or just go home and cry about it. I decided that going home and crying wasn’t actually an option, so I settled for prayer and to keep throwing the same lure.
We decided to move to another spot as the bass in the first area kind of played out. We found a great looking spot with some submerged grass that had just the right look. With the wind at our backs we drift fished down the grass line still throwing lipless crankbaits, ripping them through the grass. As I gave it a rip I felt an extra little tug, FISH ON! This time I was bound and determined to not let this one get the best of me. This bass gave a performance of a life time, jumping and dancing on the top of the water. At one point this bass jumped as the others had and fooled me into thinking I had lost him as I did the others but praise the Lord he remained hooked.
As my Father-in-law raised the netted bass, droplets of water that resembled diamonds dripped onto the deck of the boat complimenting the emerald green treasure that was now before me. It is hard to explain, after starting off horrible then catching this bass, it gave almost the same rush as catching my first bass (almost). The bass weighed in right at 4.25 lbs. not a lunker, but certainly nothing to roll your nose up at. It was the only bass caught that day, and it sure did feel great overcoming the odds and finishing strong.
At the time I didn’t quite get the message and upon editing the film I still struggled with what God intended for me to learn that day. It wasn’t until I reviewed the entire footage and thought about the trip as a whole that I figured out that even from a not so great start we ended the day pretty well. We spent some time together, we fished together, and we landed a bass together. As I thought more about it I wondered how this could translate into our lives or our walk with God. When we have great plans that get all messed up for one reason or another, and we fail. What do we do? How can we finish strong?
Finishing Strong with God
What does scripture have to offer in this realm? To answer this, we need to take a look at the apostle Paul. Before Paul became Paul, he went by Saul. From scripture we see Saul not only giving approval of Christian executions, but also that he went and began to destroy the church by systematically putting Christians in prison. In Acts 8:3 NIV it says that “Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” I’d say that is a pretty bad start to his story.
Then a little later in Acts 9:1-2 NIV we see that Saul “was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and 2asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way [Christianity], whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” Again, this is not a great start for Saul.
Being a Pharisee or a member of a Jewish sect that was strict in observance of religious ceremonies and practices, adherence to oral laws and traditions, he lived to uphold God’s laws. Saul believed in God, just not that Jesus was the messiah. So, we have a man that lived part of his life in direct opposition to God. If this was a fishing trip, this would be the part where your truck, boat, and trailer are totaled on the way to the lake. This is the worst possible way to live your life out. However, as we will see the best part is yet to come for Saul.
On Saul’s way to Damascus “… a light from Heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’” Acts 9:3-4 NIV. Saul bewildered asked who are you? The voice answered “‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 6 ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” Acts 9:5-6 NIV. Blinded and ordered to go to Damascus by God, Saul obeyed. Saul was later healed by Ananias as commanded by God, and after being healed, was baptized.
Paul later preached God’s message boldly, regardless of being threatened to be killed and later imprisoned for his unrelenting preaching. While in prison Paul writes to Timothy “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7. Paul having been introduced to Jesus, turned his life completely around. Instead of living in opposition to God, Paul boldly promoted God in His entirety until his death. Paul finished completely opposite of how he started. Paul finished not only strong, but exemplary.
How do I finish strong?
Through Paul’s example we see that it is true that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. For us to finish strong we need to understand that there is a God and He has sent a savior to deliver us from our punishment. In John Chapter 3 verse 16 we see that “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The First step in turning your life around is believing in Jesus and accepting him as your savior.
The next thing to understand is that it doesn’t matter how big or small your sin is, you can be forgiven. In God’s eyes all sin is weighed equally, whether you commit a little sin or a big sin you still have disobeyed God. Looking back at Paul, Paul went out and sought after Christians to imprison and kill because he did not know Jesus. Yet, we see Paul meet God on the road to Damascus, and upon meeting God Paul turned his life around. It is also important to know that God never took away Paul’s free will. Paul could have easily written off the encounter and continued in sin. However, Paul made a conscious effort to follow God after truly believing in Him.
Lastly, as Christians we need to understand that sometimes obstacles are good for us. Paul thought he was doing God’s work by rooting out the heretics [Christians]. As in Paul’s case God met him on the road and blinded him. This obstacle resulted in his baptism and placed Paul on the correct path of pleasing God. A lot of times we see trials as a nuisance or blame the devil for their occurrence. But what if they weren’t from the devil, what if God set that in your path to get you attention as he did Paul? More evidence of this comes with the story of Baalam in the book of numbers. This is a great story to fully understand God placed obstacles.
From these examples and other instances in the Bible we see God at work getting people’s attention. When we encounter instances like these we should definitely be testing the spirit and asking God why he is trying to get our attention. I know that for me personally God throws a lot of attention getters my way just like this specific day of fishing, so I can become more in tune with His voice and His will. The more we grow in our relationship with Him the more we are able to discern what He is trying to tell us.
In parting I hope that this little revelation that I have had and shared with you has helped you. We have all started out born sinners, which means we have all started out on the wrong foot. Just remember though, it’s not how your start, it’s how your finish. So, finish the best way you can, and finish with God.
