Fishing in Deeper Waters
What My 84-Year-Old Father Taught Me About AI, Faith, and Going Where It’s Uncomfortable
Last night I stayed up until 11pm with my dad. He’s 84 years old. And we spent the evening talking about artificial intelligence. He needed help writing a letter to the City of Chicago — his building had a fire last June and the permitting process to begin construction has been painfully slow. His English isn’t perfect, so he asked me to help him find the words. Instead of writing it for him, I opened Claude and ChatGPT and said, “Dad, let me show you something.” What happened next gave me more joy than I’ve felt in a long time.
We pulled up the free version of ChatGPT — he took to it more naturally — and I showed him how to type, how to use the voice recorder, and how to write a prompt. And we were able to do it all in KOREAN! I told him to always fact-check what comes back, and not to go down the rabbit hole when it keeps asking you questions at the end.
In less than three minutes, his letter was done.
He sat back and just stared at the screen. Blown away.
My dad is what I would call a forever student. A super senior who loves technology, loves learning, and refuses to stop growing. Watching him find his pace — slowly at first, then with more confidence — was one of those moments I will keep for a long time.
But then, as only my dad can do, he pivoted.
He told me that in the Bible, it mentions that closer to the end times, people will become less reliant on their own thinking. He looked at me seriously and said I shouldn’t let my kids use AI.
I laughed. I told him they already do. My job now is just to teach them how to use it wisely.
He smiled. And then he began to tell me about Luke Chapter 5. The disciples had been fishing in shallow water all day and caught nothing. Jesus tells them to go out into the deeper water and cast their nets. They were tired. They were skeptical. But they trusted — and when they did, the nets were so full they nearly broke.
My dad looked at me and said: “Going deep takes bravery. It takes trust. It takes faith. But it also requires humility. You have to be willing to abandon the way you’ve always done things, release your ego, and believe there is abundance waiting for you in unfamiliar waters.”
I sat with that for a long time.
Because he wasn’t just talking about fishing. He was referring to him mostly- trying new things like AI and then finding out how much it could help him.
Many of us are in what people call the sandwich generation. We are raising our children and caring for our parents at the same time — pulled in every direction, running on love and caffeine and sheer will. It’s easy to rush through the moments in between. To get frustrated. To feel the weight of it all.
But last night reminded me — if we slow down, if we resist the urge to hurry through the hard or the unfamiliar, there are lessons waiting for us everywhere.
I taught my dad how to use AI. He taught me the gospel. He taught me character. He taught me that humility isn’t weakness — it’s the very thing that opens the net wide enough to receive what’s coming. I am a CEO. I run a company. I teach other women how to build businesses and lead with courage. And I am still, always, my father’s daughter. Still learning at his feet.
To every mom in this community who is holding it all together right now — the kids, the parents, the practice, the dreams — I see you.
Don’t be afraid of the deeper water.
That’s where the abundance is.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Dr. Grace Yum
Founder, Mommy Dentists in Business
