It’s perhaps the most frustrating thing about the sport. I encountered it occasionally with intermittent success and failure.
My maternal grandmother was a faithful fisherman, fishing whether they were biting or not. When I visited she carried me. Since she fished in the nooks and crannies of the big river and anchored next to the shore, it was easy for lines to get tangled.
If my line caught in a tree, it usually involved cutting the line, but if it snared a root in the river, my grandmother had another trick. Grandmammy carried empty cans with both ends removed. She would slide them over the end of the pole and let them glide down into the water. Though I don’t know how, it usually untangled the tangle.
Jonah was in a tangle. His decision to run from God’s command to preach to the Ninevites had landed him in knots. He boarded a boat to escape God but then encountered a storm. The sailors were experienced but the storm was taxing their skills.
Finally they confronted Jonah, wanting to know if he had done anything to cause their situation. Jonah told them; “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” And it worked. Jonah went over and down and the sea calmed.
The sailors weren’t excited about throwing Jonah overboard but they knew they had to untangle what was tangling them if they were to survive.
I’ve discovered the same. Some things tangle me worse than others, and it’s my responsibility to figure out which ones are the most dangerous spiritually. What tangles me might not be an issue with you, but me is who I’m responsible for and you is who you’re accountable for.
Learning our tangles comes from experience. By failing we learn our weaknesses and how to strengthen them. We also discover what we need to avoid. Jonah learned it was best to obey God and leave the consequences to him.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us eyes to perceive potential tangles so we might avoid those things that would hinder our spiritual journey. www.lovelinesfromgod.com
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