One More Cast

Perhaps you’re the one thinking about calling it quits on whatever task it is that’s got you weary. Can I encourage you to make “One More Cast”?

We didn’t have long to fish. By the time we got to the lake after school, it was only an hour and a half until the big ball of fire in the sky would slip beneath the horizon for it’s regular game of hide and seek. Call it good luck or call it providence, but the choice to check out a spot I hadn’t ventured into in at least ten years paid off. The fish were plenty and hungry, and we found ourselves with a lively live well quickly. One of the two students that accompanied me on that day brought several fish over the side of the boat while the other hauled water. And that’s the way it goes sometimes. But as I was putting rods and tackle away for the quick boat ride back to the ramp, the water hauler uttered the infamous fisherman’s phrase, “One more cast”…and that cast ended up producing the biggest bite of the afternoon and the happiest young fisherman I’ve seen in quite some time!

There’s something about persistence that beckons the inner adventurer and optimist in many people. That “one more cast” could be THE cast that gets the big one. That “one more hunting trip” could be THE one where old mossy horns walks by. That “one more try” in whatever arena of life that you’ve been contemplating throwing in the towel on could very well be THE try that produces the breakthrough or victory you’ve been striving for. So my simple encouragement is this – Give it one more shot – whatever “it” may be! Or to put it in scriptural terms, “Don’t grow weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

There is an old story about a gold miner on Napoleon Hill during the Gold Rush era that had been mining for months with nothing to show for it. After exhausting his energy and resources, he gave up his search, sold his equipment and claim, and headed back home. The junk man that bought the equipment from the miner decided to try his hand at this gold mining thing. On the very first day, three feet from where the tired gold miner called it quits and gave up, the junk man struck gold. The miner gave up too soon! I’m not sure where you fit in this story. Maybe you’re seeking a new adventure. Perhaps you’re the one thinking about calling it quits on whatever task it is that’s got you weary. Can I encourage you to make “One More Cast”? The big one just may be ready to bite this time! Don’t give up! Give it one more shot…One more cast!

Like it did for my little buddy that afternoon on the lake, persistence tends to pay off. Keep casting my friends! It’s too soon to give up. And then when our paths meet at life’s boat ramp one evening, we’ll compare fishing stories and talk about how “One More Cast” paid off! Keep casting, and I’ll see you later…In the Great Outdoors!