stupid people tricks

A man fishes next to the water outflows of the McGuire Nuclear Station near Lake Norman, N.C., on Monday. Lake Norman supplies water to the plant, but has shrunk by nearly 94 feet.
1-23-07 Associated Press

I love to fish... I grew up fishing the San Gabriel river, at the OC/LA line in the outflows of Edison's oil burning power plants. I've fished, kayaked and surfed in the area surrounding the outflows of San Onofre Nuclear Power Plants... those stories are more than just a trip down memory lane... just one more reason why it shouldn't jar me to see some guy fishing in the rancid outflow of a drought stricken lake... in the shadow of a nuclear power plant... but it just doesn't look smart.

Capable of incredible creativity, drive, talent, love and expression- we -that's people in general- sure do some stupid things. In fact, in the hiarchy of human foolishnes that's caused grief for generations, this guy's not even worth mentioning. But I'm guessing the photographer had to shake his head in disbelief as he clicked off the shot. I'm certain this is one fisherman who's granny would gladly set him straight on the foolishness of his ways. It just makes sense: the drought's draining the lake, the reactor's sucking water at record rates, the water's supposed to come out clean... but we're also supposed to get our rebate checks quickly, we're supposed to be able to trust our elected officials, we're supposed to expect the toys we buy not to be covered with lead based paint... the list of things we're supposed to be able to do, that we can't count on, is longer than our arm... than both arms... so why's this guy fishing there?

I'm guessing he's just thrown in the towel... or he thinks the bad things that could happen, won't happen to him. We do that when we need a release, when we don't know where else to turn for help... we'll go anywhere. No one really believes a bar is "happy" during Happy Hour. No one really thinks the car they buy will "turn them on." No one really considers Disneyland "The Happiest Place on Earth." Especially the one buying the tickets. But we still run to Disneyland, the car lot, happy hour, the pond radiating behind the power plant... because everybody's got to go somewhere when they don't know where else to go.

"What's more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

Mordecai, kind of a grumpy old guy, said that to Esther, when things were going great for her- while her people faced destruction -kind of a word to the wise... or A Word from The Lord. I like to think it was the latter. Esther had lost her family, then been ripped away from all that she had left, to be held captive by a king searching out a new queen. Her beauty had saved her, now her background could kill her, if she said something, or she could keep her mouth shut: things were going better than expected... why make waves?

Then Mordecai... there's always a "Mordecai..." we just usually ignore them. Esther didn't. She quit fishing next to the nuclear power plant and saved her people. Well, it wasn't quite like that, but you get the drift. She stepped up and did the right thing at the right time for the right reasons: because she could. Who knows, it may have been the only reason God put her in that position of power.

Each of us have days next to our very own power plant... hanging out, doing something we shouldn't be doing... or not doing all we could be doing... it's in those moments, when we least expect it, that God sends a Mordecai kind of message, then it's up to us, what will we do? Save our people or surrender to more of the same old sorry stupid people tricks?

We choose.

Don't know where you're fishing today or what shadow you're living in but I do know that God has a plan for today and that just maybe you're facing... all of us are facing... a "such a time as this" moment. What will you do?

Write and tell me about it- I'd love to make my next blog about your response. And hey, stop fishing next to nuclear power plants. It's stupid!

Eric