Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."

Today I was discussing fishing with a lady who has been my friend for the last 25 years. That's nothing new; I don't have many friends for 25 years that don't discuss fishing.

My friend asked me what was my favorite fish to catch. Without a moment's hesitation, I answered, "Flounder."

She replied, "I always gig my flounder. I have never caught one on a hook. How do you hook a flounder?"

Being a long time friend, I began to give her flounder hooking lessons: "When you are wade fishing for them, you use live bait and a split shot weight. You cast just a little way out and bounce the bait along the bottom until you feel something stop your bait. You stop pulling and keep the line tight until the right time and then you pull back and hook the flounder."

"How do you know when it is the right time to pull back? Maybe it is just a rock instead of a flounder."

"Rocks feel like rocks and flounder feel like flounder. They just feel differently. You set the hook at the right time by the way it feels."

I could tell that the friendly conversation was quickly deteriorating into a worthy confrontation when she shouted, "Wheat, how do you know rocks from flounder and when to pull?!!!"

With all the love in my heart, I was really trying to explain so I shouted back "Rocks feel dead and flounder feel alive. They feel differently and if you fish for flounder long enough you will know when to pull!!!"

Amazingly, we are still friends.

This conversation reminded me of many times as a counselor, kids and grown ups have asked me "How do you know...?" How does one answer the "How do you know when you're in love, how do you know that he or she is the right one, how do you know what you want to be in life, how do you know when what you are doing is wrong for you?"

My simple advice is just to keep on casting and experiences of life will tell you if you have caught a rock or a flounder.

Dear Lord, for years I prayed to know Your will for my life. Then experience taught me that to know Your will, just simply seek to live each day experiencing how to know God better. I am not very theologically wise, but I do know that if I am trying to daily follow You, I won't go too far wrong. My faith is only deep enough to keep on casting, and if I catch a rock have sense enough to throw it back, and if I hook a flounder, string it.