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Word on the streets around the cafes and sporting goods stores of Bishop was that big trout were biting on the Owens River near Big Pine. So for one day Dad and I abandoned our beloved streams for the slow-moving Owens, in our never-ending search for more and bigger trout…and newer waters. We followed the landmarks and walked along the eastern bank to a promising bend with the river about five feet below us, and threw our lines in. Not too many casts and I tied into a big one, likely bigger than anything I’d seen Dad catch. I nursed the hog closer, fearing he could flop free in raising him with the limber fly rod. Gently yet swiftly I landed him on the bank—the ugliest fish I’d ever seen. A mudsucker. Five pounds of trash fish. My hopes of beating Dad plummeted with disappointment.
And I thought of how many times I’d thought a decision would bring joy and happiness yet merely brought pain and disappointment. And while I then thought I landed a sucker, later I realized I was the sucker. I dropped my line into a pond I shouldn’t have been fishing in, tempted by appearances or short cuts or a lack of patience or a…you can continue.
Which caused memories of Hebrews 11:25, how we can choose to “enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin” (HCSB). The idea of catching a five-pound trout entranced me, just as many temptations and sins provide pleasure. If they didn’t give us some payback, why would we all do these so often? But think about the time frame about the pleasures of sin given by the writer: yes, sin has pleasure, but those joys pass, leaving damage behind. To ourselves, to others, to our closeness with God.
As a teen, I saw God as a cosmic spoilsport, saying no to all sorts of pleasures that I could enjoy. But since then, I’ve discovered that following what he commands will bring the most benefit to us. Long term. And frankly, sometimes that benefit comes in heaven, not down here. Maybe I need to balance the attraction of the short-term pleasures of sin with the long-term damage it can bring. Maybe, before I act, I need to think long-term. Heaven lasts a long time.
Kick Starting the Application
Think of a temptation or sin whose pleasure seems difficult for you to avoid. What makes it so enticing? Have you seen some of the long-term damage it brings? For you, what can help you to slow down the decision-making process and evaluate what it might bring?