When a fisherman spends a significant amount of time with his line in the water and doesn’t catch a single fish, he has been “skunked”.  I can’t say for certain where this label originated, but it likely reflects the feeling of having nature turn on you and the embarrassment of coming home smelling like a failure. 

I will do anything to avoid getting skunked.  If I don’t catch a fish, I will throw a small hook with some bait in the water in hopes of snagging a panfish.  At least then, when someone asks me if I had any luck, I can say, “Not much.  The little ones were the only ones biting today.” 

The Bible records a fishing trip where Jesus’ disciples were skunked, at least initially.  Soon after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, Simon Peter announced, “I’m going out to fish.”  Nathaniel, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were with him and responded, “We’ll go with you.”  They got into their boat, cast their net and caught nothing.  All night they caught nothing.  They got skunked!

But early in the morning, Jesus (whom they did not recognize) called out to them from the shore.  “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”  They answered “No”.  “Ha”! Jesus replied.  “You got skunked”!

No, Jesus didn’t say that.  Instead, he told the disciples to throw their net on the right side of the boat to find the fish.  When they did, they caught so many fish they were unable to haul the net into the boat.  At that point Peter recognized Jesus, proclaimed “It is the Lord”, and jumped out of the boat to begin making his way to shore.

If you are aware of this account, you may know it ended on the beach with Jesus resolving Peter’s earlier denial and reaffirming him as a key leader in the church to come.  This suggests the fishing episode was orchestrated by the Lord for the purpose of growing the faith of the disciples and providing an encounter with Peter that would allow him to move past his mistakes.  While some people might try to provide a rational explanation for the difference between one side of the boat and the other, I find it hard to believe the fishing nets were suddenly so full they couldn’t be lifted into the boat after the disciples had caught “nothing” all night; unless this was a miracle! Which it was. 

Could it be our Lord still works this way?  Does He sometimes “skunk” us so He can bless us, and build our faith in the process? 

I realize this opens up a theological can of worms.  Therefore, I need to make a few qualifying statements.  Sometimes there are ordinary reasons for seasons or events in our lives when our expectations are not met.  For example, if we are in a testing process to becoming certified for a career position, and we fail our test, we just need to keep trying.  We either need to study more or find coaches who can help us with the testing process.  But if we are determined to succeed, we shouldn’t give up.  In fact, some of the best career people are those who have had to overcome failure and adversity.  Does the Lord work in a situation like this?  Absolutely! He forms our faith and character and blesses us.  However, we should not assume the Lord caused us to fail. 

The truth is, we often don’t know why challenging circumstances occur in our lives.  We can say with certainty, if they happen, the Lord allowed them to happen.  And we can also confidently say He will work in them to bless us in some way.  But beyond this, only He knows for sure.

I will leave you to ponder these theological matters.  I wish to go back to the general idea of surviving our “skunkings” with the hope of the blessings we might experience in the future.  Here are some thoughts to help you as you process this reality:

Remember, one bad fishing trip doesn’t make you a bad fisherman.  I have been skunked lots of times.  One day my grandfather and I walked two miles to a creek hole with a bucket of minnows, only to discover the minnows were all dead by the time we arrived.  It was a bad fishing day! But we regrouped and went to another location on another day with some fresh minnows and caught some fish.  Life is full of disappointments, and the disappointments are proportionally worse in relation to the investments we make.  It is also true some seasons in life involve one disappointment after another.  But if we believe there is something we are called to do, and it is godly in nature, we will eventually be blessed.  Don’t give up if you fail to catch fish.  Go back tomorrow.

Fishing isn’t just about the fish.  If we go fishing, we want to catch fish.  And if you have ever fished with children, you know it is important to take them to a place where they can catch something or they may become bored and have a melt-down.  But I have enough experience fishing to know there are good days and bad.  As a result, I have learned to enjoy having a line in the water regardless of whether I catch a fish.  Do I enjoying fishing more when I catch a fish? Absolutely! However, I also enjoy being outdoors, hearing the sounds of wildlife, getting away from other stressors in my life and having time to think about any number of things.  In the same way, the time we spend investing and waiting on the Lord can be very fulfilling.  Through it, we learn lessons in patience and delve deeper into biblical truths while reflecting on our personal growth.  Some have told me they have felt closer to God when they were waiting for Him to answer their prayers than at any other time.  Again, it isn’t fun getting skunked.  But it isn’t a waste of time either, and when we learn to embrace our disappointments, we can redeem the time we mistakenly believe has been wasted.

Finally, getting skunked causes us to rethink our strategy.  When I don’t catch any fish, I take note of the time of day and weather conditions.  I consider what the fish might be doing or eating during that particular time of year.  As a result, I change my strategy.  I might even change locations, which is one way of casting my net on the other side of the boat.  In reference to our walk with the Lord, I don’t believe He expects us to keep trying the same thing without stopping to consider where there might be room for improvement.  Jesus needs followers who are always learning and thinking of better ways to carry out His work.  When it comes to our personal objectives, the Lord can help us learn from our mistakes and grow through our time in His Word and in prayer.  The catch of fish by the disciples was a miracle, but they did change what they were doing at the insistence of Jesus.  Had they ignored His advice and continued to fish on the same side of the boat, they would have remained in skunk mode.

I guess what I am saying is, we should not be overwhelmed when life turns against us, and we should not be afraid to go home when we have nothing to show for our efforts.  The truth is, a day of skunking might be just what we need to lead us to a blessing.

So, fish on my friends! Try to catch something, because getting skunked really isn’t what you are going for.  But when it happens, hold your head high and keep your sense of humor.  Believe me.  You rarely smell as bad as you think.