Give more fishing poles, please.

“Give a man a fish...”. Oh, you know this. 

It seems like there’s way more fish than fishing poles being given out in the church these days. And the Christian mind is atrophying instead of being transformed to live in a new land. It seems cruel to give poles to people who are lazily addicted to fish. You hear the cries: “We want fish!” Followers seem to always want already filleted and cooked answers; they don’t like to fish for them. It’s human nature. 

However, pastors, parents, and leaders can’t always give out fish or you create dependency, a diminished mind that can’t wade through the deep waters of cultural issues. There are way too many disciples who don’t know how to string their own line, tie their own hooks, or put the bait on the hooks in order to reel in their own answers. It’s too much work. 

We have to continue to give out fishing poles and teach people how to fish even as the cries for “more fish” ring in our ears. That is what love is… doing what best not what’s the most expedient or that which garners the most in attendance. 

Ask more questions. Pose more conundrums. Foster deeper conversations. Encourage more wonder. And do it all in love. Real discipleship isn’t having fish that just hop in the boat. Real discipleship creates the environments where disciples learn how to catch the answers for themselves. And in so doing, we will be developing deep Christian minds who can critically think instead of impersonating fishermen.