Dear Friends:

I have been sorting through boxes of old memorabilia lately and realizing how many changes have occurred through my lifetime (and that's just so far – who knows what's yet to come!) We change careers, we move from one home to another, kids grow up and leave home, parents age, styles change (remember avocado green refrigerators?), and technology is always about two steps ahead of us.

Do you sometimes long for permanence? For at least some things to stay the same? For commitments to mean something? In a rapidly changing world, such longing is understandable.

Author Ron Hall tells the story of his developing relationship with Denver , a homeless man who frequented the rescue mission where Ron was volunteering. Ron had offered to be Denver 's friend, but Denver did not immediately accept. He wanted to think about it for awhile. When he returned to Ron some days later with his answer, this is what he said,

“I heard that when white folks go fishin' they do something called ‘catch and release'”

Catch and release? I nodded solemnly, suddenly nervous and curious at the same time.

“That really bothers me,” Denver went on. “I just can't figure it out. ‘Cause when colored folks go fishin', we really proud of what we catch, and we take it and show it off to everybody that'll look. Then we eat what we catch. In other words, we use it to sustain us. So it really bothers me that white folks would go to all that trouble to catch a fish, then when they done caught it, just throw it back into the water.”

He paused again, and the silence between us stretched a full minute. Then, “Did you hear what I said?”

I nodded, afraid to speak, afraid to offend.

Denver looked away, searching the blue autumn sky, then locked onto me again with that drill-bit stare.

“So, Mr. Ron, it occurred to me: If you is fishin' for a friend you just gon' catch and release, then I ain't got no desire to be your friend . . . but if you is lookin' for a real friend, then I'll be one. Forever.” *

Are you familiar with the “catch and release” concept related to fishing? It means that you catch the fish for the sport of it, look at it, maybe have your picture taken with it, then release it back in to the sea. Denver , in the story above, was concerned about “catch and release” relationships. We all understand that, don't we? Commitment is hard to come by these days. There are those who land a friend or a job or even a spouse and then they walk away from the relationship when problems arise or when a more attractive offer comes along. They are not in it for the long haul. They are ready to “release” when there is another “catch” to be made.

Now, it seems that Jesus had a special affinity for fisherman when he walked this earth. He called several of them to be his closest followers, and when he called them, he did not release them when they failed. He wanted them to follow him forever:

“God's gifts and His call are irrevocable ” (Romans 11:29).

God never changes his mind about his call to us or his love for us. He models commitment to us as no human being can do. He says,

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you ” (Hebrews 13:5).

And he means it!

So, if your relationship with God has grown cold, go back to him. He has never left you. If you have allowed sin to separate you from closeness with God, confess your sin and turn back. He is waiting for you to come home just as the father waited for the prodigal son to take those first steps. There is nothing you can do to make God turn his back on you. Once he “catches” you, he will never, never, never “release” you!

“Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ' love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture . . . None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us .” (Romans 8:35-39 The Message ).

So, when friends move away, when marriages fail, when kids rebel, and when jobs come and go, we know we can rely on the love of God to be there no matter what. He is the God of forever. God's message, in Denver 's words, might sound like this: “If you is lookin' for a real friend, then I'll be one. Forever.” Aren't you glad?

Enjoy Jesus – for now and for always!

Bev
http://www.beverlyvankampen.com

*Hall, Ron and Moore , Denver . Same Kind of Different as Me , Thomas Nelson Inc.: Nashville , Tennessee (2006), p. 107.