The water must have receded too quickly. That is the best explanation, I can come up with thinking back on an incident from my childhood. Here’s what happened. I was around 8 years old, it was late in the year, probably around October. There was a chill in the air, because I remember my four-year-old brother and I wearing jackets.

We were at my grandparents farm with a few of my uncles and aunts. No cousins were present and my brother and I were outside playing. We went over the levee and saw the drainage ditch water level was way down. Probably due to a lack of rain and the nearby river being low also.

We spotted a catfish that was flopping around in a good sized mud puddle. It was by itself and had no way to get out. We got excited and ran back to the house to tell everyone. One of my uncles, Uncle Ralph, jokingly said, ‘Well go catch it.”

Most likely, he thought we would not, but we immediately took off running back to catch this fish. The looks on the faces of my dad and his brothers was priceless as we held up our huge catch. It was a large catfish, no prize winner, but large to the two young excited boys who had caught it.

My dad dutifully filleted it and we had catfish for part of our dinner that evening. Somewhere, I have an old polaroid with proof of this event happening. What’s the point? Why write an article about it?

Here it is. Sometimes, looking back on events will help us determine a course of action or how to proceed in life. Looking back on this event and relating to you, brings to my mind that we need to see opportunities and to seize them. We could have just ignored the uncle’s comment but we did not.

How much more importantly should we not ignore the commands and exhortations in scripture. We should be looking for opportunities to serve each and every day and not ignore them.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.