Whitney Williams - Reeling in God’s goodness

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Tuesday, October 26th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Have you ever watched a sunrise over the water? If you have, you may have gotten a sense of the emotion King David might’ve felt when he wrote, “The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Here’s commentator Whitney Williams.

AUDIO: [Sounds of boat revving and wind]

WHITNEY WILLIAMS, COMMENTATOR: In the early morning hours of a cool October morning in Texas, our family of five huddles together in a small, single-engine center-console boat as it bounds off the tops of salty ocean waves toward Galveston’s North jetty.

AUDIO: I see a lot of running fish!

We look ahead to our fishing spot, prepared and hopeful—the bull redfish run through the ship channel this time of year and catching them has turned into something of a tradition. Massive container and cruise ships put us in our rightful place as nighttime lights on the coastline push out their last twinkles and the sun slowly peeks up over the horizon. After bumping along for 15 minutes or so, the captain, my husband, slows the engine to a stop and drops anchor. I unsleeve a dull, dirty knife and begin to cut bait on top of a no-longer-white ice chest, handing him meaty heads and gutty tail pieces to hook as I go.

With six lines baited and in the water, we watch and wait. Rod tips continually bow and straighten as underwater currents tug on heavy weights. “Not a fish,” Captain Dad tells his boys, who’ve alerted him to the rods’ movement. As the morning progresses, our sons pull in small sharks, fairly large stingrays, and catfish (or “kittys,” as The Captain likes to call them). Our eldest even nets some jellyfish for closer examination. When The Captain lunges across the boat and grabs a pole, we know it’s go time. “Action baby! Come on, eat it!” The Captain urges the fish. He waits a bit and then sets the hook, giving the reel a few turns. “It’s a red!” he announces, handing the rod over to one of our sons, who struggles to gain ground as the fish makes a run for it, stripping line from the reel. “Pull up, reel down,” Captain Dad instructs.

AUDIO: [Sounds of excitement over the catch]

These big ones are catch-and-release only, so the delight is in the fight. Eventually, we see the weight rise above the water. “Get the net!” the straining boy yells, but Captain Dad’s already there waiting, net in hand. He hoists the 25-to-30 pound fish into the boat. It’s 42 inches long, light orange and white in color, with a black heart shape on its tail. Out of its element, the fish makes a low drumming noise. The Captain removes the hook and our 8-year-old secures the fish gripper. He strains to hold up his catch for a photo, not quite getting its tail end off the ground.

We celebrate with a round of Vienna Sausages and some swigs of Big Red and I bask in God’s goodness, thanking Him for the delights He offers us in His creation. Suddenly, I feel guilty for my enjoyment, remembering that in that very moment other people are suffering.

The beauty of it all suddenly felt contradictory, until God whispered this reminder: “I paint these skies for the brokenhearted, as well.”

I share these thoughts with The Captain. “You think too much,” he says.

I’m Whitney Williams.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.