When

our family goes on vacations, we love to visit national parks and

historic sites. Between parks, seashores, memorials, and other

venues, we have visited nearly fifty sites in the United States

National Park system. The highlights of our trips for the kids? Not

so much the natural beauty, scenic hikes, or history exhibits. No,

the highlights are usually the gift shops. The kids find stuffed

animals, puzzles, magnets, or other souvenirs, and I try to justify

buying them as a “donation” to the park system.

In

other parts of life, don’t we also get sidetracked by gimmicks or

gadgets or something else? We are often surrounded by magnificent

events or people or tasks, and all we do is “take in the gift

shops.” We miss what is really there because we are distracted by

the trivial.

Peter

and the others had good reason to be fishing. It was their

livelihood. They probably thought they would be fishing every day for

the rest of their lives. And there wouldn’t have been anything

wrong with that. But God had something else in mind for them. Imagine

what they would have missed out on if they had declined Jesus’

invitation and remained in their boats!

Don’t

get distracted by the ­trivial things in life and miss what God

might be calling you to do. The gift shop isn’t all there is. He

has so much more in store for us all.