“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”
Matthew 10:14 NIV
My Father just returned from the fishing trip of a lifetime! The picture you see is a single days’ catch; it was a very successful trip. He told me how much research goes into catching fish. There is studying the fish migratory patterns, finding the right bait, and working carefully when reeling them in so they aren’t lost. The clever fisherman works very hard to deceive fish. Despite all of this, it is still the choice of the fish to take the bait and hold onto it long enough to be hooked and reeled in.
When we go about our everyday lives we will occasionally come across ‘bait’- things placed with the intent of wasting our time, offending us, or hurting us. If we are not mindful of Christ’s mindset we can waste a great deal of time, energy, and emotion on worthless arguments. When I hear people discussing the latest Facebook argument I often tell them, ‘you took the bait.’ How much stress and effort is going in to ‘staying on the line’ while someone is reeling them in? We have a choice to keep on swimming.
Of course, there are plenty of situations outside of the internet that we can find bait carefully laid out for us. Maybe there’s a coworker with a critical attitude. Perhaps there’s a member of your family struggling with anger or bitterness. Every time I visit the department of motor vehicles it’s a struggle not to be frustrated with the bureaucracy of paperwork!
Jesus clearly teaches us to value our time and energy. We are instructed to evaluate if our words are falling on deaf ears. Can you imagine how ineffective the disciples would have been if they had continued to preach to people who would not listen?
Are we keeping Christ’s perspective in our everyday interactions? It can certainly be difficult to ask the Lord before we engage in a heated discussion. Let’s keep in mind God’s will and Jesus’ example before we ‘take the bait!’
In him,
Amy Horton
Men and women lined up with five-gallon buckets, while children came carrying empty juice bottles. They brought anything that would hold water. Standing next to the water truck in a rural Honduran village, I was overwhelmed at the poverty and great need around me. We filled bucket after bucket with clean water. Attempting to alleviate an enormous burden in the smallest way, we carried the 40-pound buckets down dirt roads and into their homes. The water sloshed around in the buckets, hitting the dirt beneath us. Deep in my soul I was reminded that this precious resource is fleeting. Soon they will be thirsty and needing clean water again.