“A Love Pat From God”

A good friend and I were fishing at Patagonia Lake last Thursday afternoon when we started noticing how the clouds had quickly built up over us. It was a welcome relief because it was very hot and muggy. In my fisherman’s way of thinking though, I figured we would probably get rained out and that would end our fishing. We had wanted to catch a mess of sunfish for bait, as we were going to try and get on some flatheads. We were starting to catch a few when we started to hear a noise some distance off in the trees. I told Derrick that I think we better get off the lake quickly. We high-tailed back to the marina and no sooner did we get tied up then the heavens cut loose on us. The wind cranked up and branches started flying off the trees and the rain came down in bucket fulls. Then the hail (pea size) started. The hail probably lasted for half an hour. The rain kept up for probably an hour or more. When we tied up at the dock, I stood up and my fishing hat blew off into the water and the wind quickly blew it away. I thought, “there goes a nice hat.” Well, there was a young family tied up at the dock also and the boy tried to snag the hat with his rod and then the father tried, but to no success. So the boy decided that the hat was too good to lose and he dove in and swam about 15 yards out and retrieved it. Many thanks to the young boy (shame on me for not getting his and his family’s name) for doing that. We all raced under the marina porch and watched the storm. The father stayed in their boat and caught a small channel cat. The boy brought his rod over and caught a channel also. The rain eventually stopped and we headed back out to finish catching our bait. We got a few and decided to set up for flatheads. We had one decent take down but no hookups. I think this storm really affected the flattys. You know, storms can affect fishing that way and I thought we drove all that way and nothing (flatheads) to show for it. On our way home, I started to see some of the blessings in the day: 1. I was out with a good friend, 2. We were safe, 3. We met a nice family and gained a couple of new subscribers, 4. Got my hat back. The next morning Dianne (my wife) and I were talking and she said that the rain we had at our house was “like a love pat from God.” That statement sure put things in their correct priority. It has been so horribly hot and dry here and God new what we needed when we needed it. Dianne really needed it that day; the heat was really getting to her that afternoon while doing her outside chores. Isn’t that just like our God??!! To give us things when we NEED them. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31 – 34: “And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” A lot of our lives is taken up with thinking about why isn’t God doing this or that and not about simply trusting him. God sums it up in Isaiah 55:8 & 9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Maybe this is where I need to end this post.