Counterfeits

Here's the deal - I was scheduled off on Wednesday and my plan was to drop my son off at school a little early and head over to a lake just east of Nashville. I would fish for a few hours before heading off to the golf course where I would meet up with my good friend, Gary for eighteen holes. Everything was going well as I hit Fate Sanders boat dock right on schedule - just as the fog was beginning to lift from the surface of Percy Priest Lake. I knew exactly where I wanted to fish, what I was fishing for, and what I wanted to use to catch them. Normally a largemouth-bass fisherman, yet this morning I was in pursuit of striped-bass, and let's be honest here, the larger the better. There had been reports spread throughout the region the previous week about big stripes being caught early in the morning and I was hoping to get in on the action, even if I was arriving at the party a little late.

The boat trip back up to the bridge that I had crossed in my truck thirty minutes earlier was a cool one, for even in mid-June the air is still a little chilly coming off the lake at eight o'clock. I fished my designated area for almost two hours with little luck. Reluctantly I pulled up my trolling motor and headed off in search of a plan B. Since I was so convinced I would strike it rich around the bridge I never thought much about what to do if it didn't work out. Ever have a situation in your life like that? I slowly steered the boat up lake and began to fish an area I normally would try later in the year when the water temperatures have dropped a bit. It wasn't long until this decision was rewarded with a hunk of a fish on the other end of my line.

It took nearly twenty minutes to coax my catch up to the surface and then into the net, but I did it. My knees were shaking from the excitement. Not from the size of the fish, for I had caught several bigger ones over the years, but more so from the species this fish appeared to be. (Insert fishing lesson 124 here) You see, in the striped-bass family there are several variations. There's the smallish yellow-bass, the bit larger and most commonly caught white-bass, the potentially monster-size stripes,and then there is the hybrid-bass (which is a cross between the white-bass and the stripes.)

Trust me when I tell you, over the years I have spent a great deal of time on several lakes pursuing all of these species when the largemouth weren't cooperating, so I am very familiar with the distinguishing differences of each. The fish I had just caught was a white-bass, and a very large I might add. The stripes on its side and the rows of what we call teeth (not really teeth) inside its mouth all confirmed this was indeed a white-bass. I weighed it on my small hand-held scale and then placed it in the livewell. I went back to fishing after retying my knot but was so distracted by my catch that I couldn't concentrate. Because I wasn't just a fisherman, but also a student of the sport I knew pretty much what the state and world record weights were for most species that I regularly caught, and on this morning I was pretty certain that the white-bass swimming in my livewell was a new overall weight classification record for the state of Tennessee. Yeah for me!

I pulled up my trolling motor once again and headed off for the certified scales of Fate Sanders Marina. I got the assistance of one of the locals hanging out and we weighed the fish. It ended up being a few ounces short of what my scales showed, but nevertheless it was still most certainly a state record catch. Three maybe four fishermen confirmed what I already knew and congratulated me over and over. The marina owner took a picture of me and my record-breaking catch, then we called the Nashville branch of the state wildlife resource office to see what I needed to do next. After getting a hand-written note certifying the weight of my fish signed by the boat-dock proprietor and several of the other witnesses I loaded my boat onto the trailer and sped off toward Nashville to receive the final confirmation.

I didn't expect to receive any monetary prizes but I was looking forward to the notoriety that would certainly come my way. Not because I wanted the media attention, but because for me it would be the confirmation to my friends and family that I was indeed a skilled fisherman. It's strange how we go through periods of immaturity where we need such external confirmations in whatever area of life we're involved with, isn't it? I had fished for years (averaging thousands of hours spread across hundreds of days with catches of more than a thousand fish per year) and I was very schooled concerning fish species and record weights yet never before or afterwards have I ever been involved with such an ordeal of excitement as this fish was bringing on this unusual June morning.

Arriving at the TWRA office in Nashville I was greeted by a couple of curious state employees. Within mere seconds of examining my catch we had confirmation of the fish species - and it was not a white-bass, yet rather a hybrid-bass. My excitement and joy immediately turned to disappointment and embarrassment. The wildlife officers reassured me that it was a common mistake because at times some rarely seen hybrids can take on all of the similarities of a white-bass and very few of the striped-bass distinguishing features – thus leading to the confusion of these convincing counterfeiters.

Whatever! I should have known better...

As I was getting back into my truck I finally remembered I was supposed to be at the golf course by now. This all happened BCP (before cell phones) so I had no way of contacting Gary directly to let him know what was going on, so by the time I got to the country club he had given up on me and left. What a day! I was worn out mentally by everything that had transpired and so I simply drove back home to Franklin with my tail tucked tightly between my legs.

Even today I cross paths with many counterfeits trying to fool me into getting excited (past the point of sound reason) once again. Maybe no longer by slick looking hybrid-bass, yet more so by people, relationships, half-truths and perverted versions of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So many doctrines and written words that may even be created by well-intended men and women, yet still off-base when compared to the solid truth of His word. Ever noticed how easy it is to get caught up in the "feel good" of a watered down version of the Bible that so many fall prey to everyday? Have you also noticed how it seems we eagerly seek out and love the scriptures that are filled with only the good stuff, and avoid anything that reminds us of the discipline we must develop in our lives to live a life pleasing to God? I have! Counterfeit versions of our faith.

I find it more evident than ever before that so many airwaves, pulpits, offices, and households have become full of those that desire appeasement, and those seeking personal comfort. Full of those excited about their catch of a hybrid-bass which looks almost identical to a state record white-bass. More so, I think our lives can become engulfed in relationships that are counterfeit as well. Those that start out looking like the Real Deal, yet soon we discover that we've been fooled again by a crafty counterfeit once again. How does this happen, and happen so often for some of us? I think it often happens because we're so eager to find the “right relationship” the right friendship, the right marriage, the right partner for ministry that we become extremely gullible to the deceptions of the enemy.

So how do we defend ourselves against such vulnerability? We must be armed with the arsenal of weapons God has given us in His word, and not just with other's interpretations of His word. We must be fully cloaked in His armor, His righteousness. And finally we must allow ourselves to be defended through our relationship with Him which comes through our consistent prayer-life, and the presence of the great counsel which He gives us in the Holy Spirit.

This journal item is beginning to take on the sounds of religious stuff, isn't it? I guess that's true to a point.

The truth is, is that we don't find protection or security from being fooled by the counterfeits of this world through “religion” we find it in Him. His spirit can be right there in the boat with us at all times. He takes a look at our catch and will quickly tell us if it be a white-bass, or a hybrid. It'll save us a lot of time and energy running across the lake in search of certified scales and the acknowledgment, and praises of man. It'll save us the embarrassment and disappointment we'll surly face when the real experts examine our catch and let us know we've been fooled by a counterfeit once again. And yes, maybe most of all it'll save us from missing out on the really important appointments in our lives - such as being able to spend an afternoon playing golf with a good friend that you may never see again.

You see, it wasn't but a few days later I left my job at the hospital in Franklin, and moved off to another city for a new career in retail management. For whatever reason I never saw Gary after that day. Even after twenty years I still miss the rounds of golf and the weekend fishing trips I shared with my friend Gary Martin. He wasn't one of those counterfeit friends that was only around during the good times. What I loved about him was that he would always be there for me during the tough times as well. I still hate the thought that on that well planned out June morning I got caught up chasing after notoriety and confirmation for my life all because I was fooled by a counterfeit, and it resulted in me missing out on an opportunity to spend time with a true friend.

You may remember a month or so ago I wrote an item entitled “Ya-Ya's” which was about the importance of true friends, and I received several notes from the Ya-Ya's of my life. The one I was touched most by came from a friend, Wade Hawkins who reminded me that despite the many miles that are between us nowadays his prayers for me still keep us closely connected.

I find more so today than ever before I have a true need for Realness in my life, such as friendships with people like Wade Hawkins and Gary Martin. For such things as the Truth that only comes from His word, and the guidance that comes from the Holy Spirit which steers our lives clear of the suffocating grasp of the many counterfeits that make up the world we live in.

Ask yourself this, is there anything in your life that you suspect maybe a counterfeit? Is there a relationship you're in that you know isn't the real thing? Is there an interpretation or belief about who God is or who we are that doesn't line up squarely with His word? If so, then let me suggest this (for myself as much as for anyone else) – stop reading this blog-page right now and ask Him to reveal to you not only the truth of this matter, yet the way He would have you go to rid your life of these counterfeits.

I'll close this item with a simple reminder from an old fisherman that is still learning everyday how to apply all of the experiences life has thrown his way - "beware of counterfeits!"

doug