Daily Devotionals

Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life

Devotional: June 22nd

Last evening, while my wife and I were returning from worship service, we saw a scene that brought back a reminder of gentler days. As we turned off Sebree Road outside of Stamping Ground, Kentucky, and onto Long Lick Pike we saw a man and his daughter sitting on the bank of a pond fishing. It was one of those postcard picture moments that you wish you had a camera to record. With that simple vignette floods of memories came to my mind.

My dad loved to fish. It was his favorite thing to do when he had time off. Often were the times that I would be awakened at 3:00 A.M. by Dad who would look at me and ask, "You wanna go fishin'?" I'd literally jump out of bed and throw my clothes on while walking out my bedroom door and down the stairs. We'd bolt down a bowl of cereal and head out to the workshop to get our fishing tackle. Dad always made sure we had those break down fishing rods so we could put them in the car without any problem.

Once on the road I'd ask Dad where we were heading. He'd respond with Rattlesnake Creek, Rocky Fork or some farmer's pond that he had gotten permission to fish. Didn't really make much difference what was to be our destination. The important thing was that Dad and I were going fishing. During the ride we would make all the traditional predictions as to who would catch the first fish, the biggest fish and the most fish. My reward, if I beat Dad catching fish, was always a bottle of pop on the way back. We'd always stop at the local gas station and get a seven cent bottle of Coke.

H. Jackson Brown once said, "Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures." Life is too short to get wrapped up in the life and death situations to the point where you can't appreciate the small pleasures. A well brewed cup of coffee, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the scent of the air after a rain, kissing the forehead of one of your children or grandchildren. Life has some spectacularly wonderful small pleasures. We need to keep our eyes open for them.

The small pleasures remind us of the love of God and His providence toward us. Jesus said, "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." (Matthew 6:29) Lift your nose from the grindstone once in a while and take in some of the things that God has available for you and be reminded of how much He truly cares for you.