Dumb Fish

     This past week, my family and I spent a whole week up in the Unitas at the Moosehorn camp ground. It was a ton of fun! I gutted a fish for the first time, learned that I would be the one eaten if my family was starving and had to eat someone in my family, and that I look like I'm 8 years old when I am camping! I loved every moment of it and wish I was back. It was incredible to not worry about a thing and just be out of the world for a week. Favorite thing of summer by far.
     My uncle brought up a canoe on Thursday, and my sister and I thought it would be fun to go out together on it. We looked a little like idiots, but we did it with style. We made it from one end of the lake to the other in one minute and fifty seconds! We could be in the Olympics if we wanted. Anyways, while we were fishing, I starting thinking about fish and how dumb they really are. I mean, we put a worm on a hook, cast it into the lake, the fish bite the worm, and then end up being caught on the hook. They are extremely dumb. You would think they would learn the first time to not go for that worm again, but they always end up doing it. I didn't think anymore of it until today.
     In YW today, we talked about sin and how to recognize it and avoid it. My YW leader pulled out a picture, and it was a ton of fishing lures and different ways to catch a fish. The little lightbulb came above my head and I thought, "We are just as dumb as the dang fish!!" We related the worm to sin and temptations that we are faced with each day. It just takes one little nibble of the "worm" to get us caught and stuck on that hook. And just like the fish, we will always go back to the "worm" or the bad habit. This lesson was really interesting and it kind of opened my eyes. Just the smallest mistake that we happen to make can lead to a whole lot of danger, and take us to a place we didn't intend to be. Once we are stuck, it is ten times harder to get off and back on track. Through family, friends, and prayer, we are able to avoid those temptations, and not take a nibble of the "worm" no matter how delicious it looks.
     I am so thankful for the family that I have. They are incredible and I love them so much. They push me to do my best and to stay on track. My friends are hilarious and I don't know what I would do without them. I can't wait for this next year as a Senior. There are going to be a ton of little "worms" along the way, but I know my friends will help me through. I know it is going to be a fantastic year and I can't wait to see what it brings.