What Goes Around......Get The Picture?

My friend Sam gives me great joy. If you don't know Sam, he is a 'not-quite-your-typical' eighteen year old. Historically, Sam finds more ways to get into trouble (not the bad stuff--just trouble) than any kid I can recall since.......myself. That's probably why my love for him prevents me from doing him some type of bodily harm, though my hands naturally form into a tight grip when he gets near. (All in good fun, lighten up please!)

Anyway, Sam had a problem a couple of days ago. He and a buddy were preparing to do some catfishing out on the lake and were tying up some trot lines. Now, trot lines need big, strong hooks in order to snag and hold a sizable catfish. They are five times the size of a normal fishing hook. Well, Sam called and, sure enough, one of those big hooks had found a sinister way to get embedded into the palm of his right hand. Fearing that his mom or dad would have quickly put him out of his misery in a more painful way, my friend called me. You see, Sam knew I would help, even though I would be laughing the whole time. He came over, I took a pair of cutters and clipped the big hook, and Sam screamed like a girl. (No offense to any girl who screams.) I didn't laugh because of some sadistic nature within. I laughed because it was Sam.

Jesus said, "Don't you know that a man reaps what he sows? With same level that he sows, he will reap his harvest." Great verse, though sometimes it's a hard lesson to learn. So, the story continues: You see, I had fun telling Sam's saga. It really is a great stress-reliever to laugh. Well, two days later on my day off I went fishing. The Crappie are nearing their spawn and they are big and mean. Great fishing. I cast my jig up near a muddy bank and 'wham,' I had a fish on. I set the hook and prepared for a fight. It wasn't a Crappie. It was a five inch long sunfish. I pulled so hard I jerked him out of the water and into the boat from twenty yards. As he flew towards me, time slowed down. I could see his eyes; he was staring back at me with a smirk, an evil grin on his slimy, fat-lipped mouth. Then, as he shot into the hold of my boat, he spit the hook out of his mouth. You understand that the tork a guy puts on a line to catch a monster is tremendous. The line was tinseled out to its breaking point. You could almost hear the 'zing' sound. As the poor little fishy hit the soft, carpeted floor, I watched the hook fly right into the palm of my left hand. I thought of Sam......then I screamed like a girl!

Remember, "What goes around....the thing you sow....will be coming back around in the form of a harvest. If I had it all to do over again, it would all be the same. Why? Because both cases are funny and God loves a good laugh. But the moral is so important. Sow generously, righteously, and with good humor. It'll find its way back, and remember to duck!!!
Pastor Jim