Ecclesiastes 11:4 (New International Version)
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

This past Saturday, I was scheduled to participate in a fishing tournament. I had looked forward to this weekend ever since I put the event on the calendar. I would be joining my dad, one of my brother-in-laws, and a cousin for a day of fishing on a well-known lake in southern Illinois. It was a charity event, and I was anticipating a day of relaxation while supporting a good cause.

But in the days leading up to the tournament, things took an ominous turn. Or should I say the weather forecast took an ominous turn. All reports indicated that it was going to be cold and rainy – not exactly the kind of weather that lends itself to a relaxing day of catching fish.

Early last week, my father let me know that our cousin would monitor the weather reports and make the final call as to whether we would participate. (This all-important decision was left to my cousin because he was the most important member of our fishing crew, a.ka. the guy who owns the boat.) On Wednesday, my cousin made the call: we were canceling the trip. All indications were that Saturday would be marred by storms and rain.

I was semi-depressed, but there really wasn’t much I could do. I couldn’t blame my cousin for not wanting to tow a boat more than 100 miles just to sit in the parking lot and watch raindrops splatter on the windshield. We discussed a backup plan that included fishing on a local lake, but we decided to forgo that plan too.

As it turned out, I spent Saturday sleeping in, doing laundry, and preparing for my Sunday School class. While it wasn’t exactly a horrible day, I definitely would have preferred to be on the lake with the sun in my face and a rod and reel in my hand.

So how did the weather turn out? Where I live, at least, it would have been a perfect day for fishing. It was cloudy, but not a single raindrop fell from the sky. But instead of standing on a boat while reeling in a trophy, I was home folding underwear. Trust me; it’s just not the same thrill.

What’s the moral of this story? If you let the weather forecast determine your plans, you’ll never accomplish anything. If you look hard enough, there’s always a cloud on the horizon that you can use as an excuse to keep the boat parked in the shed.

So if you feel like God has called you to do something, ignore the weather forecast. Go ahead and launch the boat.

It’s probably going to be a perfect day for fishing.