…they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:20
The last time I went fishing was decades ago, when I was twelve or thirteen years old, and it certainly didn’t involve a net. The most elaborate tool was probably just a rod and reel. But I come across Matthew’s Gospel today, about the first apostles and their nets, and I know exactly what the author is talking about.
We may not realize it, but we all have “nets.” We have distractions, busy work, chores, habits and hobbies, things that are keeping us occupied. Some are necessary—we all have responsibilities—but all too often those “nets” may keep us from meeting our fullest potential: answering God’s call to be what he wants us to be.
Nets not only catch things; they also trap. They can hold us back. It takes courage to drop them and go in another direction.
We should ask ourselves every now and then: What are the nets in our lives?
Are they keeping us from doing what God really wants us to do?
Dcn. Greg Kandra
Originally published November 30, 2023
