To some, lily pads give a body of water a sense of beauty. However, those who fish in those same waters often see them differently. A single established water lily pad can grow and expand its surface coverage by 15 feet in just 5 years. That is just one plant; if there are multiple, the spread increases drastically. Because they grow so fast, they form dense mats on the water’s surface. This blocks out sunlight, killing off native underwater plants and depleting oxygen levels for fish. Not to mention, it crowds the body of water, causing a loss of areas that can be reached.
Well, how do they get into a body of water? Fragments of water lilies, their root systems, and their seeds easily attach to boat hulls, propellers, and trailers, allowing them to transfer to new lakes and rapidly take over. A broken piece of a lily pad stem can drift to a shallow shoreline, sink into the mud, and successfully sprout into an entirely new plant network. Because aquatic plants spread so easily this way, many states have strict “Clean, Drain, Dry” laws. Boaters are required to visually inspect their trailers, scrape off any clinging vegetation, and drain all livewells before leaving a boat ramp to protect local ecosystems from invasive hitchhikers.
We are called to be fishers of men. We may find ourselves in many different places, our own “bodies of water,” trying to reach people, ranging from our daily workplaces to specific outreach programs. Just like a boater doesn’t intend to carry invasive weeds to a new lake, spiritual hitchhiking happens quietly when we are simply focused on moving from one place to another. We must be attentive so that we don’t let invasive things attach to us. We cannot let worldly habits, attitudes, or compromises subtly attach themselves to our speech, thoughts, or routines when we spend time in secular environments. It requires deliberate awareness to notice what is clinging to us.
I remember when I first entered the industrial setting over 25 years ago. A man told me that he, too, was a Christian when he first started in the industry. He warned me that I would soon drift from my convictions just like he did. But by God’s grace, guidance, direction, and a continual inspection of my vessel, I have not allowed the things on the outside to permanently attach themselves.
We are supposed to be in the world, but not of the world. As Jesus said, They are not of the world, even as I am not of it (John 17:16 KJV). James also wrote that we are supposed to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world (James 1:27 NIV).
As fishers of men, we must go to the places where we can reach others. But we must also make sure that we are affecting the environment, and not letting the environment affect us.
John 17:16-18 (KJV) They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
Romans 12:2 (KJV) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind
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