Bass Fishing And Learning The Laws Of Life
Life is short....well the physical part of it is anyway. I've decided I want to leave a legacy behind me. I try to conduct myself in a way that when foks see me, they see someone that acts different from the norm, someone who is polite, happy and not quick to fly off the handle.
That's not always the way it had been for me! I had a quick temper and complained and whined a lot. I once heard a guy say, "People that complain are not looking for a solution, they're only looking for sympathy!" This hit home for me. I had mindsets in place from as far back as I can remember: "Don't make any changes, just complain and the right people will sympathize with me....THEN I'll feel better." This is a lie.
My mentor and I frequently had conversations, many of then one-sided, regarding the trials and tribulations I faced as a bass fishing guide. (He had to be holding back extreme laughter being he was a roofer and worked in All conditions!) Once I ran my jet boat up onto a gravel and rock bar and messed up my intake. I was watching the beautiful Snowy Egrets on the river shore instead of watching where I was going. When I told him what I had done, he reminded me, "Blaine that's what happens when you take a break in the middle of working.....wasn't break time, keep your eyes on the water and not on the egrets."
But God put those egrets there for me to see his beauty, right? And why would God run my boat up on a rocky bar like this? Oh, Boy. The spirituality around those egrets paled in comparison to keeping my eyes (my mind really) on what I am doing while traversing shallow rocky water in the river!
He often reminded me, "We acknowledge our feelings but we don't live by them." Once I took that to be truth in my life, looking for sympathy became much more uncomfortable! I was being transformed by the renewing of my mind, and feeling better but still being chained to my negative thoughts and ideas didn't bring me joy that God had promised me. Jesus said, "It is my good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." and "I've come that you should have life and have it more abundantly." This wasn't the way my experience was playing out, so I had to change my thinking.
Today I ask myself, "What is the truth or what are the facts?" Or repeat short positive statements about myself and especially about who God is in me and who I am through Him. This is transforming my life. And a nice added plus, I'm able to safely run through menacing shallow water areas without scaring my passengers to death! It's a win-win for all!
Blaine
That's not always the way it had been for me! I had a quick temper and complained and whined a lot. I once heard a guy say, "People that complain are not looking for a solution, they're only looking for sympathy!" This hit home for me. I had mindsets in place from as far back as I can remember: "Don't make any changes, just complain and the right people will sympathize with me....THEN I'll feel better." This is a lie.
My mentor and I frequently had conversations, many of then one-sided, regarding the trials and tribulations I faced as a bass fishing guide. (He had to be holding back extreme laughter being he was a roofer and worked in All conditions!) Once I ran my jet boat up onto a gravel and rock bar and messed up my intake. I was watching the beautiful Snowy Egrets on the river shore instead of watching where I was going. When I told him what I had done, he reminded me, "Blaine that's what happens when you take a break in the middle of working.....wasn't break time, keep your eyes on the water and not on the egrets."
But God put those egrets there for me to see his beauty, right? And why would God run my boat up on a rocky bar like this? Oh, Boy. The spirituality around those egrets paled in comparison to keeping my eyes (my mind really) on what I am doing while traversing shallow rocky water in the river!
He often reminded me, "We acknowledge our feelings but we don't live by them." Once I took that to be truth in my life, looking for sympathy became much more uncomfortable! I was being transformed by the renewing of my mind, and feeling better but still being chained to my negative thoughts and ideas didn't bring me joy that God had promised me. Jesus said, "It is my good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." and "I've come that you should have life and have it more abundantly." This wasn't the way my experience was playing out, so I had to change my thinking.
Today I ask myself, "What is the truth or what are the facts?" Or repeat short positive statements about myself and especially about who God is in me and who I am through Him. This is transforming my life. And a nice added plus, I'm able to safely run through menacing shallow water areas without scaring my passengers to death! It's a win-win for all!
Blaine
Posted by Blaine Mengel at 1/6/2012 2:18 PM 
Categories: Bass Fishing
Tags: Backwoods Angler TV mentor bass fishing Blaine Mengel
Categories: Bass Fishing
Tags: Backwoods Angler TV mentor bass fishing Blaine Mengel
I hear you on the complaining part but things were different and I approach my minset differntly as well. Being diagnosed with cancer sure makes you want to complain and I did, but only for a while, after all, God must have had a plan and going through chemo I'd sit and watch all the suffering around me and then I began telling jokes and all around me was laughter, for a short time the suffering was gone, this is why I was there. Now my life motto is, "Every day is a good day, just some are better", try it, it works.
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