We’re about five weeks out from our fly fishing expedition to June Lake, insha Allah.

I’ve been drawn to freshwater fishing since I was a kid. My childhood imaginings about a life outdoors often had me rigging a pole with sticks and some bushcrafted line. From there it would just be a matter of time, putting my hook in the water and enjoying the view until my lunch showed up.

By most measures, I’m a lousy fisherman.

I rarely catch fish. Unfortunately, I’ve let that fact get to me and I’ve put off getting back on the water for many years. I think the last time I went fishing was in early 2013.

But a good part of fishing actually isn’t about catching fish. It’s not about having the right pole or hooks or bait. It’s not about reading the water or matching the color of your lure to the weather. All of those things help, sure, but that isn’t how you catch fish.

The truth is, you don’t catch fish. At least not in the same way you pick fruit.

Rather, the fisherman does what he knows the best way he knows every chance he gets. Above all, the fisherman keeps his line in the water. And then he hopes for the best.

Because he knows one thing for absolutely sure: there can’t be any fish without a line in the water.

And it’s also true that a line in the water may not always come up with fish. But there’s isn’t any other way.

How many times do we give up on a thing because stuff isn’t happening the way we planned? Or worse, events are unfolding nicely, just not quick enough.

Every place I’ve ever fished had something to offer me. Shade, cool breezes, the sound of running water, the intellectual challenge of finding my quarry. And all of that could be enough, if I allowed for that.

But I wanted my fish. And if I didn’t get my fish, I wouldn’t come back. I wouldn’t allow myself to experience all of those wonderful things, all of the incredible beauty of a lake at dawn, except on the condition that I would have a fish in my creel for the trouble.

It’s not the right way to think. A better approach would be to know that my fish will come, when God decides. More important is that I choose to continue showing up.

That magical moment does exist, for sure. That moment when our choices and God’s Decree align and that is brilliant! I pray for those moments, but I need to be there for the moments to happen.

And I hope to be there with you when your moment happens, insha Allah!

We’ve got lots to talk about in the coming weeks. At this point, we’re still taking sign-ups and so we’ll hold off on the nitty-gritty until the next post, God willing.

For now, though, let us begin to consider our personal intentions. I will do that, and I will also offer this collective intention:

We wish to gather together, in the Name of our Creator, our Provider, and our Sustainer, in gratitude to Him, in reverence for Him, and in pursuit of Him. We wish to acquire all knowledge that will make firm our gratitude, reverence, and patient seeking. We wish to deepen our relationship with all of creation, God’s plants, animals, and heavenly ornaments, that we may be drawn into a realized understanding of His Might and His Mercy. We wish to be transformed by this experience, entirely for the better. We further ask that God Most High expand us, that we might graciously accept all that He desires for us.

Amin