Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October 2013 - Pastor's Reflection

The Parable of The Fisherman And The Banker

             A Banker was taking a much-needed vacation in a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.
            The Banker was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the Fisherman how long it took to catch them. The Fisherman replied, “Only a little while.” The Banker then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish?
            The Fisherman replied he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs and to share with another. The Businessman then asked “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
            The Fisherman replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, spend time with my wife, serve people who are needy, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends: I have a full and busy life, sir.”
            The Banker scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA, and I could help you. You could spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats until eventually you would have a whole fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to the middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You could control the product, processing and distribution.”
            Then he added, “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to The City where you would run your growing enterprise.”
            The Fisherman asked, “But sir, how long will this all take?”
            To which the Businessman replied, “15-20 years.”
            “But what then,” asked the Fisherman?
The Businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You could make millions!”
            “Millions, sir?   Then what?”
            To which the Banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, spend time with your wife, serve people who are needy, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”
            
I love this simple parable. It brings clarity to what life is all about… and definitely not about. It brilliantly illustrates the illusions we so easily fall into when pursuing wealth and the riches of the world. It is far too easy to build incessantly and forget that the purpose of life is about our relationships and service to others. It is equally easy to forget about all the goodness we are surrounded by today. The truth is it doesn't take a lot of money to have a truly wealthy life, but it does take freedom. Remember, we are freed from the burdens and expectations of this world through the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
So here are some questions for each of us to ponder …
* What do we really need to be happy and fulfilled?
* What is the price you are willing to pay for simplicity? Complexity?
* If you died tomorrow what unfulfilled dreams would you regret having never lived?
* What is keeping you from living those dreams today?
Be a blessing, as you have been blessed -
Rev. Pat

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