​Keep On Hangin’ On!!

The day my granny lost the tip of her finger is one that will forever stand out in my memory. She didn’t lose the whole thing mind you, but just enough to remind her to be more careful in the future.

As so many of my memories begin, I was down on the panhandle of Florida on the Chipola River fishing with Granny and Grandpa Tharpe. It was a Wednesday and everything was just perfect. The sky was just the right shade of blue, with beautiful white puffy clouds running across it; you know those clouds that make you see things like Mickey Mouse or Abe Lincoln in them. The water lapped gently against the side of the old rented jon boat we sat in, and the shade was more inviting than usual, it was so inviting, in fact, that we had accepted the invitation.

We were sitting under the arches of an old cypress tree with our cane poles fanned out in every direction waiting for the bream and shell cracker to come to their senses and have a taste.

The first thing to hit the line that morning, hit on what my Granny called her taut line. That is a line coming off of a rod and reel with a number ten hook on the end. Above that were two slip leads sitting on top of a split shot and no cork.

She always had her taut line set out on the oft chance that a big channel cat would succumb to its charms. She usually put a big worm or a piece of liver on the hook and let it sit just off of the bottom.

Well on this particular morning the first thing to take her up on her offer was a little bitty snapping turtle. It wasn’t one of those cute little green things you find at the pet store, but a miniature alligator snapper. The thing wasn’t much bigger than my hand back then, and I was seven or so, so it looked more like a pet than a menace. It was really cute. So Granny was not paying as much attention as she should have, and when she was just about ready to toss the thing back into the deep, it turned and with an offended air clamped down on to my granny’s left middle finger and refused to let go.

I have written before of the time when my Granny washed my brother’s mouth out with soap for daring to say the word “darn” in casual conversation, so it was a shock to me to find out just what she thought about that little creature’s family. I will never forget the tongue lashing that little thing received; and I will also never forget the sound of my Grandpa’s laughter as Granny did everything but jump in the river to relieve herself of the burden which had so recently been placed upon her, but it did not matter one lick. The little turtle hung on with such tenacity that nothing and I mean nothing, that my Granny tried would dislodge him. After a time though he was rewarded for his effort, when with a slight clicking sound his little jaws met one another, and he returned home with a smug smile and tasty morsel of one of the greatest Grannies to ever grace the planet. Granny now being relieved of her burden, dipped her finger in the river to clean it, wrapped it up and joined Grandpa in his laughing; and then got back down to fishing.

I once read that the Christian’s greatest fear is not that he or she will be damned to Hell, but rather that Christ will be overrun. In other words we worry that from the evidence at hand the things that Christ stands for: the love, the justice, the peace, will be overwhelmed and defeated by the powers set up against such things. It is at times such as these that we are called to display spiritual tenacity. We are called to wait upon the Lord. We are to hold on to the last breath in the knowledge that our God is God and can never be overcome no matter how things appear.

The hardest thing for you and me to do sometimes is to wait upon the Lord, but that is exactly what we are called to do. We are called to tenaciously wait upon the Lord, but waiting is not enough. We must also be tenacious in our work for the Lord while we wait upon Him.

No matter what forces are arrayed against us, we must resist the evil, resist the hatred, and resist the pain that this world tends to traffic in; and bring goodness, love and healing to bear against those who would destroy us. Once again that takes tenacity: endurance fortified with the faith that God cannot be defeated.

I challenge each of us to be people of tenacious faith. No matter what the world is doing, believe. No matter how bad it looks, believe. No matter what you are going through, believe.

We must faithfully trust that our God is God and work with Him to over come all obstacles, whether spiritual or practical, to further His Kingdom in Heaven and on earth.
 
SO BE A SPIRITUAL SNAPPER. NEVER GIVE UP.
 
Trust that God Almighty is God Almighty. Don’t hide. Don’t give up. Don’t cut and run. Hang on to your faith no matter what the circumstance may say. Hang on and work for the Kingdom.
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Give it all you have. Give Christ all you have. Never, never let go! Never ever give up!!
No matter what, believe that our God is God and that Christ, and Christ alone, will see us through the fires of this life and bring us unscathed and joyful into the next. That is what faith is all about!
 
Love,
Pastor Tony

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