“Be prepared in season and out of season.” – 2 Timothy 4:2
Having been raised on a farm, as many in his generation had, my wife’s grandfather, Cecil Dye, never lost his passion for the outdoors – nature, wildlife, fresh air, open spaces, beautiful sunsets. While never a farmer himself, his love for the outdoors was mostly expressed through his leisure activities, mainly fishing, hunting and golf, though I’m pretty certain if he were asked to choose a favorite it would be fishing. How do I know that? The answer is simple, when it came to fishing he was always prepared.
Cecil’s preparedness did not originate, though, with his spinning rig or the contents of his tackle box, rather it was in the relationships he built by the way he conducted his business, the type of citizen he was in the community, and the scores of friendships he developed over the years. Because he was their friend and a man of impeccable character many of the ranchers around the small town where he lived allowed him carte blanche access to their ranch properties, including fishing in the many stock tanks scattered about (“ponds” to those unfamiliar with West Texas ranch lingo). So, number one on the preparedness spectrum, Cecil had access to where the fish were.
The next thing was that when Cecil went fishing he had a purpose, to catch fish. His idea of fishing was not to throw a bobber in the water then lean against a tree and take a nap. I have watched him many times wade out up to his chest in one of those murky stock tanks wearing a pair of Bermuda shorts and some old tennis shoes casting in every direction until he found the right spot where he would reel them in one after another.
The popular motivational speaker Tony Robbiins once said that “the meeting of preparation with opportunity generates the offspring we call luck.” And because he was prepared, when Cecil Dye went fishing he always had good luck. Except he was not lucky just for himself, he helped create luck for the people he took along. I know, I was one of those lucky fishermen who happened to learn from him, and what I learned from him was perhaps even more about life than about fishing, just as young Timothy did from his mentor, the Apostle Paul. “Be prepared in season and out of season.” But I don’t think he meant spinning rigs and tackle boxes, but things like relationships, character and purpose, things that matter, that bear fruit, that bear more fruit for generations to come.
nwplom
q0of9w
j0e48v
4wugza