Article April 23, 2012 Issue

Learning to fish

Frank von Holzhausen

I am not much of a fisherman (never have been), but over the last few years, I’ve learned my share about where and how to do it. Not the physical act of fishing, mind you—rather, fishing the way Jesus taught us.

Let me explain. I own a consulting design business. A few years ago when the economy took a downturn, our clients started to pull back, and we felt that we were going to have to do some belt-tightening. As a Christian Scientist, I knew that I could work this out through prayer.

I had learned earlier that it was important not to let fear prevail or to start going through the “what ifs”: What if there is no business? What if I have to close the business? What if we use up all of our assets? . . . and on and on. These limiting thoughts would try to keep us trapped in a constant rehash of feared scenarios, rather than recognizing that God is in control, providing creative ideas  for everyone. I knew that if I turned wholeheartedly to God, a way to keep this business going or to make a smooth transition for everyone would be revealed.