The Cranberry Village

Chapter 3: The fisherman's secret; the story of Paul the mole

There is a pond on the Cranberry Island. It is in a remote, quiet place surrounded by trees. There are many fish in this pond – bass, bluegill, and the occasional catfish. And every day, sometimes in early morning and sometimes in the afternoon, a quiet, cheerful mole comes down the shady path to the pond. He is Paul the Mole. He comes with only an old-fashioned bamboo cane pole resting on his shoulder and a small container of worms, for he is a simple mole. He also carries a very big basket which he hopes to carry his catch in.

Every day, he sits on the high bank of the pond, dangling his legs cheerfully and watching his little red-and-white bobber float on the water. Now and then he brings it in, whenever he feels it necessary, and exchanges the worm on his hook for a fresher specimen. Many times, his keen eye detects the bobber dipping back and forth, up and down, and he knows that a curious little mouth is investigating the bait.

Then he waits, full of hope, until gradually the bobber is still again. He reels it in sadly, patiently replaces the worm that a pesky bluegill has stolen, and casts it out again.

When there is no action, Paul just sits quietly and listens to the low hum of insects and watches the bright dragonflies dip and dance on the surface of the rippling water and wonders what it would be like to live in that mysterious world of reflections under the water, where the trees stretch ever downwards until they meet the sky. Then, if there is still no action, which there usually isn’t, he gets up slowly, gathers up his belongings, and goes back home for a humble dinner of macaroni-and-cheese.

When he does catch a fish, Paul’s joy is inexpressible. He stands there beaming, alone in his delight, cradling his small fish and dreaming of old Mrs. Mole’s excitement when she sees it. On the way home, if anyone stops to say, “Hey there, old Paul Mole, how’s the fishing today? Catch anything?”, Paul shrugs his shoulders and says, “Nothing much – a bass or two, but that’s about it.”

Yet his face beams and, however small the fish is in his basket, it is always positioned in such a way that its tail sticks up out of the basket in sight of all passers-by.

Yes, Paul loves fishing, and he loves it for many different reasons. He has learned many things from catching fish and watching the quiet pond. And it is from fishing that Paul the mole discovered a very important secret, one that he will remember always.

It happened this way: Every time Paul the mole used to come home from the pond, he always looked like a kind and cheerful mole. But I’m sorry to say that that was only what he looked like on the outside. For Paul the mole had a problem. And this problem was on the inside where no one could see it.

You see, Paul the mole loved something even more than he loved fishing. Paul the mole liked catching fish. Every day, Paul expected to fill his large basket with fish—or at least with just one. When Paul the mole did not catch a fish, he was very unhappy. All the way back to his house, he grumbled and complained in his heart that he did not catch a fish. And when he reached his house, he was grumpy to Mrs. Mole even though she had worked hard to make him a nice dinner!

Now, it is okay to be sad when you don’t catch a fish. It is okay to cry when you don’t catch a fish. But it is not good to grumble and be mean about it.

For months, Paul the mole strolled down to the pond to fish. Sometimes he caught a fish, sometimes he didn’t. For months, people thought that Paul was a kind and good mole. But you know and Paul knew and Mrs. Mole knew that this was not true. On the inside, Paul was angry whenever he didn’t have a fish to put in his basket.

One day, Paul Mole was sitting on the bank of the pond. The sun was slowing getting lower in the sky and the shadows of the trees were getting long. It was almost time to pack up and go home for dinner. But Paul the mole had not caught any fish. He had not even got a nibble.

Paul Mole slowly stood up. He gathered his belongings and frowned at his empty basket. Then he sighed and started slowly for home. All he could think about was the fish he didn’t catch. As he trudged along the shady path from the pond, his foot suddenly struck against something that was half buried in leaves and dirt. Intrigued, Paul the mole bent down and picked it up. It was a book. A very old worn book that someone had lost there a long time ago. Its pages were wrinkled and damp and its cover was torn and covered in dirt.

But it looked beautiful to Paul the mole, because he had found it, and it is always exciting to find an old forgotten book. Forgetting all about fish, Paul held the treasure tightly in his paws and flipped through the musty pages. As he walked and read, Paul realized that this was a very special book which he had discovered by his special pond. It was full of fascinating stories and striking truths. And as he read on and on, he came to a part of the book which had been written by another Paul who lived long, long ago. As he read the words of this other Paul, Paul the Mole stopped walking. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the page. And as he stared, his jaw dropped open. He was absolutely astounded by what he read.

These are the words that Paul the mole read:

The Cranberry Secret: “ . . . I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need”(Philippians 4:11-12).

 Is there something you really, really want that you don’t have or that you can’t have? Do you ever hold a grudge against someone because that person has a thing you want? Many times we want things only because other people have them. We think that if we have certain things, look a certain way, or are able to do something amazing, it will make people like us and help us to fit in better. And when we get more, we want more – and more and more and more – and we get angry at people who have more, on and on, until one day when we’re old we realize that none of it really mattered or helped us after all – and by then it’s too late.

Do you ever grumble because you can’t have something you want? And are you ever like Paul the mole, where you grumble on the inside, but on the outside you look kind and sweet? You may look good to other people, but you know and God knows that that is not really the case. God looks at your heart, the inside of you, and sees all you think about. He doesn’t care what you look like on the outside. He cares what goes on inside of you. And grumbling on the inside is just as bad as grumbling on the outside.

But when Paul the mole found the Bible in the leaves by the pond—for that is what the special book was—he uncovered a secret that the other Paul had learned long before. This Paul was focused more on what he did have than on what he didn’t have.

Old Paul Mole looked around. The sun was just beginning to set and the clouds were glowing with colorful light. The pond was still and glassy and bright dragonflies dipped and danced above it in the cool of the evening. And Paul realized that even though he didn’t have a fish, he had many other things. Paul the mole, even if he didn’t catch a fish, had a beautiful day to enjoy, the fun of trying for fish, a kind Mrs. Mole back home, and mac-and-cheese for dinner. But even if he had nothing else, Paul Mole, like the Paul in the Bible, had a Savior Who loved him no matter what he had, looked like, or did, and Who died to free him from his sin; a Savior Who would one day return and take Paul up to Heaven to live forever with Him.

And you know what? So do you! Try for a few days to make a list of everything you do have. You may be surprised at how much there is. And read in the Bible what God has given you and done for you. Then you will see that you don’t need to grumble on the outside or the inside. Maybe all those things you wanted weren’t so important after all!    

Paul the mole loves fishing now more than ever. For fishing at his special pond has given him a special secret. Now, he sits on the bank of the pond with his rod propped on his knees, looking around at the beautiful things God has created and given him. And when the fishing is slow, Paul reaches into his pocket and pulls out an old, worn book. He turns to his favorite page and reads his special secret and thinks about all his good Savior has done for him. He reads and remembers again the Fisherman’s Secret.                                                                                                                              

Check out the Fisherman’s Secret for yourself in Philippians 4!

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Artwork by Daniel and Joshua Venturo

Scripture quotations are from the ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission.  All rights reserved.