By Pastor Steve Gibson
We will be rapidly moving from spring to summer in the next month or two. Unfortunately it’s likely to be another deadly summer for some in the deserts of Arizona.
A few summers ago, one lady’s death hit closer to home for me. She was hiking a trail I often hike. It’s not a particularly long hike for those who hike regularly. In fact, it’s not much over a mile to the top. I can hike up the Echo Canyon trail and back in less than an hour.
That August I was counting my blessings to be back to the parking lot by 8:30 a.m., as it seemed too hot to be starting out by that point. Still, I saw a few beginning the hike with the sun beating down.
The next morning at 9:30 a.m. (and more than several degrees warmer) a couple from Europe began the hike with their son. They were slow and took a couple hours to get to the top of the mountain. By then the husband was impatient to head back so he and the son started down while his wife rested a few minutes. Eventually she began to hike down, but she was getting disoriented and dehydrated. She never arrived back at the parking lot. Firefighters didn’t find her body until late in the evening since she had wandered far from the trail.
When I heard the news, I thought “If only she had started earlier.” She might have met up with Claude and he would have offered her water. He always carries extra water to offer to anyone he spots along the way. Or she might have seen Grandma Sandy who would gladly have shared water. Both Claude and Sandy have offered me water at times. But they hike while it is still ‘reasonable’ to hike, not in the heat of the day.
They remind me of Jesus, who offers the water of life freely. Yet I’ve noticed Claude and Sandy don’t get many takers. Usually people reply: “Oh, I’m good.” Sadly, Jesus often receives the same response. People think they are tough, they can do it, somebody else deserves the water more than they do. They may not realize how rapidly life can be slipping away.
Claude confided once: “I’m getting tired of carrying all this water. Nobody seems to want any.” Much like the offer of salvation, it is often met with resistance or indifference.
I’m thankful that Jesus isn’t just a fair weather hiker. He is always on the mountain searching for the thirsty and lost. And praise God, He doesn’t get tired of carrying and offering the water of life to those in need. He lives to save just one more.
Aren’t you thankful that Jesus’ offer of salvation has been extended to you? Have you accepted His thirst quenching provision? Have you shared that great news with someone? Today is the day of salvation.