The Fisherman and the Businessman

The Fisherman and the Businessman

I came across a story I thought you would enjoy. Once upon a time there was a businessman who was sitting on the beach in a small Italian village. As he sat, taking a brief break from the stress of his daily schedule, he saw a fisherman rowing a small boat back into the harbor. In the boat were a few large fish. Impressed, the businessman asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” To which he replied” Oh, not so long.” The businessman was confused, “Why don’t you fish for longer to catch even more?” “More this is enough to feed my entire family and even offer some to my neighbors.” The fisherman said. “So what do you do for the rest of your day?” Enquired the businessman. The fisherman replied, “Well, I’ve usually have caught my fish by late morning, at which point I go home, kiss my wife, and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap and read. In the evening, I go to the village to have a drink with my friends, play guitar, sing and dance into the night!” Putting his entrepreneurial hat on, the businessman offered a suggestion. “I have a PhD in business! I can help you become much more successful. From now on, you should spend longer at sea and catch as many fish as possible. When you’ve saved enough money, buy a bigger boat to catch even more fish. From there, you’ll soon be able to buy more boats, set up your own company, build a production plant to can the fish and control distribution and move to the city to control your other branches.” To this, the fisherman asks, “And after that?” The businessman laughs,” After that, you’ll be able to live like a king, take your company public, float your shares and be rich!” “And after that?” Asks the fisherman once more. “After that, you can retire, move to a house by the sea, wake up early in the morning to go fishing, then return home to play with your kids, kiss your wife, take a nap in the afternoon and join your friend in the village to drink, play guitar and dance into the night!”

Puzzled, the fisherman replies, “But isn’t that what I am doing already?”

Sometimes more isn’t the answer. Sometimes life from another’s point of view is not of value. Sometimes we need to work at what we have. Be grateful for what we have been given. Not always be looking for the silver lining of something bigger and better. Count our blessings for all God has given us. Thank God for your spouse, your warm home, your children, your church, and the good fortune in your life. Be more concerned with what God thinks about you than what people think about you.

If you are always looking for what you can get tomorrow you will miss what is right in front of you. Be more worried about following God’s way than the world’s way. Look to see the value of what you have. Take care of your life every day to be a better child of God.

If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence start taking care of your own lawn. Put time in, water it, fertilize it spend time with it. Follow God’s plan!

There was a famous opera singer who during the most successful time in her career, with more money than she could ever imagine, just up and left the stage. One day a friend found her on the sea shore, her Bible in her hands and on her knees. She was looking out into the glow of a sunset. As they talked, the friend asked her,” how is it she came to abandon the stage at the height of her career.” The opera singer answered quietly, “When every day it made me think less of the Bible and nothing at all of the sunset, what else could I do?” The world may never understand your decision to follow God’s way. But then, perhaps God cannot understand a decision to pursue what the world offers!

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

In Christian Obedience,

Rev. Coy