Bait

Bait


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
October 23, 2010

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. -John 15:4a NIV

I remember the first time my husband took me into a bait and tackle shop. It was years ago and he thought pier fishing could be something we could do together. I was game. It sounded fun. With each of us purchasing a brand new rod and reel and shiny lures of all kinds to place in our big new tackle box with pull out compartments, we were on our way. Early the next morning we went to the pier. Armed with a thermos full of coffee, we paid at the counter and asked the Nice Man what the fish were biting on….in other words…what bait should we use? As my husband talked to the Nice Man, I walked towards the pier to find a good spot for us to set up. When my husband walked towards me I could see he had a bag he just purchased. He said it was the bait. Still with enthusiasm, I got ready for my first pier fishing experience. And then I saw them…..a bag of BLOODWORMS. For me, the day was over before it began! Growing up, I was never a tomboy so the idea of playing with worms didn’t appeal to me then and certainly not that day on the pier! Within minutes, my role changed from fishing partner to fetcher. I fetched more coffee, got the newspaper when there was a lull in activity, I went back to the car for a wide brimmed hat for shade and more suntan lotion. Most of all though, I enjoyed seeing my husband happy and became his cheerleader when he reeled in his catch, one after the other. I realize by now you probably won’t be surprised if I tell you I had to turn my head when he took the fish off the hook!

One definition for the word “bait” is allurement or enticement. I can look back and see where I have been lured into things or doing something that wasn’t good for me in the end. The enemy can be quite convincing when he wants to take us down the wrong road. What I know is that sometimes wonderful things appear to be in our future. Is it “bait” from the enemy or is it God bringing us the desires of our heart and promoting us with his blessings? At times, it is hard to know. The best way to handle these decisions as they come before us is to put our hope in God, trust Him and walk forward. If God wants us to continue on, he opens every door and places a feeling on the inside of us of comfort and peace. But if it is not of God and we are being “baited”, we will know because there will be warning signs. Things won’t appear right. We won’t have peace. When we abide in God and He in us, then we can be confidant that we have all that we need on the inside of us to make important decisions and choices. So how do we come to a place where we “abide”? It is daily prayer and reading His Word. Growing spiritually helps us to recognize the difference between when God is leading us or when we are being lured.

Turn It Around

Turn It Around


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
October 20, 2010

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! -Isaiah 30:18 NIV

It has always been fun for our family to wrap up the day by making a trip to the docks to see what the deep sea fishing boats have brought in. With every boat that leaves the marina and heads out to sea, it must at some point turn around and come back at the end of the journey. It's exciting to stand at the edge of the water watching the activity of the boats coming back into the marina, each taking their turn as only one can enter the opening at a time. Occasionally they will wave and we will wave back. The fishermen are dressed warmly and look tired and tanned, but content. People gather around to hear the days stories of the sea. A chill in the air is felt as the warm sun begins to fade on the day. The helpers scurry around with hoses to wash the salt spray n off the boats and to clean the decks in preparation for tomorrow.

I went deep sea fishing once. Yes, I say once. I was hoping that the captain would turn it around and take me back to land ,which I was sure would cure my seasickness. Yes, I am one of those people!! But at least I have been able to capture some of the excitement of the sport from the docks at days' end since then.

This week there has been a song in my heart. It is about asking God to turn things around. To open the doors of heaven and pour our blessings. Yes, that has been my prayer this week, as well. The upcoming change of season has always been a call, a reminder if you will, to clean things up and sweep out the door anything that is not of God. In essence, its an act of faith to come closer to God. Old sin habits, old ways of thinking and in general, an attitude that is fruitless is of no benefit to anyone and is useless to God. We have to be willing to take the first step to “turn it around” . When we humble ourselves before Him with our repentant heart, He willingly receives us. We are coming into the season of harvest. God has so much to give us, so much to offer us. God is a God who restores. He heals. He forgives. He performs miracles. He pulls us up and over. He is gracious.

Sea Oats

Sea Oats


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
October 13, 2010

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

 –Hebrews 11:1 NIV

October is when the sea oats are at their most beautiful and majestic in my opinion. The stalks have grown tall and the oats are perfectly formed to create a mass of gold. They protect the dunes from erosion because their roots run deep into the sand. The dictionary says that the root of any plant is the part that develops and grows downward into the soil. It anchors the plant and absorbs nutrients and moisture, all necessary elements for life. While we enjoy the display of gold waving back and forth in the rustling autumn breezes, we are thankful that the root system is strong enough to produce the beauty we enjoy this time of year. We may not be able to see what is going on deep in the sand as roots reach out and anchor themselves to gain strength and stability, but we know the work is being done because of what we can see with our eyes above ground.

Faith is something we simply can’t live without. It is our root system. The discipline of reading the Bible, going to church and saying our prayers is not in vain. We are being fed spiritually when we seek God and His Ways, which in turn builds our faith. You might go days, weeks, months or even years and feel like you are sailing along just fine and then suddenly your faith is tested. And that moment is when you know if you can weather the storm or not based on the strength of your faith. Do we understand why some things happen just because we have faith? No, sometimes things aren’t clear. Again, we need faith to accept the things we cannot change, the things we don’t understand. And more importantly, we need to live by faith so not to remain in that place of fear, crisis or concern. We need faith to rise up in order to move up and over the problem. Can anyone ever have enough faith? Just think of the root system of that swaying sea oat. It never stops working at staying alive. When that root system strives to stay healthy and alive, it thrives.

October

October

Reflections by the Sea
Betsy Ore Glass
Ocober 6, 2010 


The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

–Psalm 28:7 NIV



October is a wonderful time to be at the beach in my opinion. The days are shorter, the nights are cooler. Goldenrod is in full bloom with its mustard colored flowers growing wild here and there. Sea oats look rich in a golden amber hue as they wave back and forth on the dunes in the ocean breezes. Salt spray covers everything. Where tourists once sunbathed on the summer beaches, large flocks of pelicans and gulls have reclaimed those places as their own again. It is sweatshirt weather on most mornings. Pots of seafood chowders and stews are put on simmer all day for early autumn suppers to stave off the evening chill. October spells pure joy to me as it is the one month that everything seems to be just perfect on the Outer Banks.

For a while, I have collected everything I could find with the word “joy” written on it. Tree ornaments, plaques, magnets and more. I use these little messages throughout my home as a daily reminder to stay in joy and not complain or find fault with myself or others. I have learned that it doesn’t take much to get hooked into the emotion of complaining and grumpiness and that is a trap the enemy uses to steal our joy. We have to be on guard against this happening. My favorite definition of joy is “the expression or display of glad feelings”. Being filled with joy can cause us to want to do and share good things for those around us. It is like having a new song on the inside of us. When we can, I think we are supposed to spread our joy outward and see how God uses it to make positive changes in our lives and the lives of others.