A bass stranded in a drainage ditch, a couple of ladies on their way to a party, dense woods and a nearby pond – perhaps not a typical scenario for an epic rescue story … and yet, it was … sort of.
A group of women from my church got together recently at a friend’s home, and as the ladies were arriving, the hostess looked out her back window and said, “What in the world are they doing?”
We gathered around the window and saw two of our friends in the woods, obviously trying to catch something. Theories abounded.
“It’s probably a lizard,” I said, knowing that one of the ladies has a special affinity (I’m not kidding) for lizards.
“I bet it’s a kitten,” someone else said. “You know Beth can’t resist saving pitiful little kittens.”
About that time, one of the gals emerged from the dense woods clutching…get this…a rather large fish.
“Look – Heidi caught a bass!” I announced. “Wow – who knew you could go fishing in the woods around here?”
Beth and Heidi took off running toward the pond, and when they reached the shore, Heidi shot-putted the fish into the water, where he swam away as relieved and thankful as a bass can get.
Smelling a bit fishy all evening was the price Heidi paid for her heroics, but according to her, it was worth it. She explained that as she and Beth were walking toward the house, they heard something flopping around in a shallow drainage ditch that ran from a goldfish pond, past the woods and down to the big pond out back.
Tenderhearted, animal-loving Beth first saw the hapless bass but was a bit freaked out about grabbing the flailing fish.
“But he’s gonna die if we just leave him here,” she said to Heidi, who happened to be walking alongside her.
“Here, hold my cupcakes and I’ll get him,” Heidi said. And that’s just what she did. Once she had nabbed him, both ladies took off running toward the pond, but after just a few steps, the slimy bass rallied for one final burst and leapt out of Heidi’s grasp, launching himself into the woods.
Pondering whether they wanted to risk chiggers and ticks to save the fish, Heidi said she thought, “Oh, great – he might have had a chance to live if I’d left him in the drainage ditch, but he’s gonna die for sure in those woods.” So she went in after him.
Ever tried to catch a desperate, flopping fish in thick brush? Me either, but I’m pretty sure it’s not anyone’s idea of a good time.
But Heidi and Beth did it and there is one more bass in the world today because of their heroics.
The whole escapade was good for some laughs, but it also seemed like a pretty good picture of another rescue mission of infinitely greater importance.
That one took place nearly 2,000 years ago. A loving God saw His favorite creatures doomed and helpless in a hostile environment, so He ventured into the mess to rescue us.
He ended up with much more than chigger bites and ticks for his heroics – He was rejected, humiliated, tortured and crucified.
Are you thinking you don’t need to be rescued?
Make no mistake – no matter how together we may look on the outside, if our hearts are separated from Jesus Christ, we’re all as helpless and doomed as…well… a fish in the woods.