Stream time is sacred, an opportunity to commune with nature.  This has always been God’s plan for us.  Check out the Bible, Genesis 1:20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  Mankind has enjoyed the beauty of nature since the days Adam and Eve tended to the Garden of Eden.  

Even today, our many streams teem with life. We are tasked with caring for these creatures.  Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  Conservation is biblical and outdoorsmen, especially hunters, play a tremendous role in protecting what has been gifted to us.  

Fishing specifically must have been important in the eyes of God referenced more than 40 times in the Bible.  From the fishermen of Galilee and their catch of a lifetime with just one cast of their net to the miracle feeding of 5,000 men plus their wives and children from one boy’s lunch!  It was used symbolically when Jesus told His disciples they would be fishers of men. 

Many of us go through times of restlessness when we’re obsessively planning ahead, but missing what’s right in front of us.  We can be in perpetual motion, often distracted, at times overwhelmed by the busyness of life.  Time passes by all too quickly.  Then we look back and wish we’d have been more in the moment, relishing the details, as we can go back only in our memories and photos.  (Hopefully there’s some of that to draw on.) Yet this gift of nature we’ve been given is there for us to indulge in whether we embrace it or not.  Not only are we to care for nature, but God created it for our pleasure and solace.  He uses a flowing river as a metaphor for peace.  There’s much to be gained by simply seizing your fishing pole and heading to a stream.  The rhythmic sounds of the water flowing, accompanied by birdsong is enough to lower your heart rate and bring a smile to your face. Sometimes these background sounds are suddenly interrupted by the sound of a heavy footed land animal moving nearby, or a startled family of wood ducks discovering your presence within the stream as you simultaneously discover theirs. Those are the moments when your heart rate accelerates briefly, reminding you that your “fight or flight” response is most certainly intact and ready for an actual threat should one come your way. 

Taking to the stream is often a quiet, reverent time… a time to reflect and fill your heart and mind with gratitude, something that promotes mental wellness.  And for me, should the fish be biting, it is especially “well with my pole.”  There’s joy in the excitement of the actual catch and the anticipation of the subsequent highly nutritional meal to be served.  The essential fatty acids that many fish provide improve heart and brain health. These fatty acids may also improve mood, reducing depression and anxiety.    It is well to have your pole ready for what are hopefully frequent jaunts into the streams of life to savor the rest and healing that awaits you.  But more than that, I hope your stream time will strengthen your faith,  better preparing you to face the many challenges of life, ultimately bringing you to feel within your very spirit the peace behind this phrase from a timeless hymn… “It is well with my soul!”