It made news around the world. Three Americans had been hiking in northern Iraq and they inadvertently crossed the border into Iran...a nation that has a long history of hostile actions against anyone or anything American. It created a worldwide sensation when they were arrested, accused of spying, and subsequently jailed. Naturally, there was a huge outcry across our nation as our citizens were screaming over this obvious injustice, yet the first question that came to my mind when I first heard the story was, "What kind of idiot would go hiking along an unmarked border of a country that is considered to be a part of the "Axis of Evil?" I've thought about it a lot since that time, and I still haven't come up with a satisfactory answer. Was it the thrill of the risk involved? They had to have been aware of the danger.
As it turned out, a million dollars had to be paid to the Iranian government for their release. When we stop to think about it, our initial reaction may be to say, "They brought this upon themselves...now let them suffer the consequences." But that's not the way we operate in this country. How many times do we hear stories of hikers who get caught in a blizzard on some mountain in Colorado? If they would've had any sense, they wouldn't have been out there during the time of year when snowstorms can come upon you without any previous warning. Yet thousands of dollars and countless man-hours are spent in their rescue attempt. That's how we do things.
The thought has occurred to me from time to time that when we rush to rescue those people who were somewhere they shouldn't have been in the first place, we're really encouraging their irresponsible behavior, but then I think about it just a little more. How many times have I found myself in an unpleasant situation, in need of someone's help, yet I'm in that predicament strictly because of my own recklessness. Has anyone ever helped you out of a jam that you got yourself into? Yes, I know that when we become "grownups," it's time for us to start taking responsibility for our own actions, but sometimes even reasonable adults make stupid decisions. One of the most common mistakes we make is opening our mouths when we should be remaining silent. Then we end up crying for someone to come to our rescue.
There have been times when I was ashamed to ask for help, simply because I knew it would be obvious to everyone involved that all my troubles were self inflicted. But there have been other times when I was so desperate for help, I was beyond caring what anyone else may think about me. The most stupid thing any of us could ever do is willingly violate the laws of God, especially when we know what the penalty will be, yet there have been periods in my live when I took that risk time and time again. I'm happy to report, though, that God came to my rescue, although the expense to Him was enormous. With that in mind, I guess I really have no excuses to ignore someone's plea for help, regardless of whose fault it is.
Preston
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment