Growing up in the Okaloosa County section of the Panhandle, I had a blast going fishing in the Sound with my Papaw on several occasions.
Around lunch time, he would pull his boat into one of the islands and break out our lunch: crackers, ketchup and an oyster knife.
Parked over an oyster bed we would reach over, give an oyster a quick swish in the water, pop that baby open and enjoy the finest gourmet lunch around!
At least, that was my opinion.
You can't do that so safely anymore. Too many boats, water runoff of fertilized yards — all kinds of things — have made it a little too risky to eat in the volume we used to enjoy.
My brother and I used to walk down the beach of the bay with my dad, cast net in hand, while we chased crabs. In those days, men would fish for mullet by encircling a school and taking their nets from shore outward and then back again.
Several times, they would tell my dad to just go ahead and throw in there and get a mess. Afterward, he would have me assist him and we would help the fishermen gather their catch.
You cannot do that anymore.
One, their nets are illegal, and two, you would be costing them too much money.
Priorities have changed.
Simpler times allowed for simpler activities. It is the same in our lives.
We have so polluted our lives with the cares of this world to where we cannot simply enjoy the presence of the Father. Daily, we are constantly polluted with the cursings of people who no longer have respect for others around them.
You have to wonder about what is being taught at home and in schools when the only way many people can express themselves is to curse.
We are bombarded by pollution on our airways, radios, the news — you name it.
Don't believe me? Go pump gas and listen to the words of the persons next to you.
Turn off your TV for two weeks; turn it back on and realize how bad it has gotten.
It is risky to live in this world, and only through God's Holy Spirit can we be kept from being overcome by it.
We allow our own needs to push us to take care of only our needs. We no longer look around and share the bounty of God's love with others.
Do not cast your net here, for we want all that is in front of us, even at the expense of others.
You know, God has created a way for the waterways to cleanse themselves by the use of tides.
Water, moving in and out, assists in the carrying away of pollutants, and moving the fish around.
His Holy Spirit can do the same thing. Can we not allow Him to move in our lives and cleanse us?
Perhaps pollutants of this life can be cast away, and we can be used to be dispersed to be a blessing to others.
The Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Ministries, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: The Holy Spirit helps us overcome moral corruption