As an Alaskan, there’s a three week window in July that I can go to one of our famous fish streams and put a five foot diameter net in the water to catch salmon. I go to the mouth of this river and depending upon the timing and the tide, I can catch a couple dozen salmon with my net. We call it dipnetting. For the fishing purist, they do not consider this fishing. It’s harvesting. Call it whatever, but to me, it’s food in the freezer for the winter.
Recently, I was running my favorite mountain trail. I was reflecting on how this time leading up to leaving in January for the 11 month World Race is probably a lot like dipnetting.
You see, dipnetting – the actual putting the net in the water and waiting for the fish to get caught in the net – is the easy part of the whole experience. Don’t get me wrong. Dipnetting and standing in the water is a lot of work and can be very tiring. One time I stood in the river for 12 hours straight to get my fish limit. It’s exhausting. But catching the fish is only just the beginning. Then I have to put the fish on ice, drive the 2 hours back home, clean and gut the fish, fillet them, get the vacuum sealer out, cut the bags to place the fish in, vacuum seal the fish, and then make room in the freezer for my bounty. The processing of the fish is just as much work as catching the fish, if not more.
So, back to the World Race. Trying to sort out everything before leaving for 11 months is a lot like dipnetting. On and off, between the excitement and anticipation of this journey, I’ve felt an array of emotions that have included feeling overwhelmed and discouraged with trying to tie all the loose ends: who will rent my house? where do I store my car? how can I possibly raise all this money by the deadlines? how will I pay my taxes while I’m gone? And then I realized… all these questions and anticipation time leading up to leaving is only just the beginning. Once I leave and begin to travel to these countries, that’s when the real work begins.
And this whole thought process has led me to a resolve that I can’t do this alone: the preparation of the trip or the trip itself. This is all bigger than me. I’m in this tug-of-war with relying on myself to accomplish all this when I really need to trust that God will provide for my needs. I can’t do it alone and I need not be discouraged or overwhelmed. This is a case of “let go, let God.” It's funny how often I need to remind myself of this…often multiple times a day.
Joshua 1:9-11 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
