Mr. and Mrs. LeConner could smell the fresh sea breeze as they stepped out of their pickup truck. They had just arrived at a campsite at the edge of the Strait of Juan De Fuca in the state of Washington and the place was beautiful. Looking through the trees, they could see blue water stretching out to the horizon. They looked forward to spending a few days of peace and quiet in this spot.
However, in the trailer behind the truck, their black cat named China had different ideas. She was not used to riding in the trailer, and the long ride had upset the cat. She had only one thought when the door of the trailer opened . . . escape! She streaked through the doorway and hit the ground running . . . under the picnic table and off into the undergrowth.
The strange surroundings frightened her, and she ran to a very tall fir tree that was leaning out over the water. Digging her claws into its rough bark, she climbed as if her life were in danger.
Up and up she climbed. Mrs. LeConner called out, “China, stop, please stop!” But China didn’t stop. She climbed until she was nearly seventy feet high! Then she found a resting place in the crook of a branch.
The LeConners begged their cat to come down. They made the smacking sounds they used to call her at mealtimes. They placed specially cooked food at the bottom of the tree, hoping she would smell it and come down. But China didn’t budge from her resting place.
Cat’s claws are designed in such a way that climbing up tree trunks is fairly easy, but climbing back down is difficult for all but an experienced cat.
The LeConners spent four days trying to coax their cat out of the tree. The closest fire department could not help. Seventy feet is nearly eight stories high, and their tallest ladders were only half that height.
On the fourth day of their not-so-relaxing camping trip, the LeConners gave up trying to recover their pet and returned home without her.
Would poor China ever get rescued? The campground director felt sorry for the cat. He stopped to talk to her every day as he checked all the campsites. He even contacted the local newspaper, which ran a story about the cat.
On the tenth day China had spent in the tree, a young man who worked as a logger offered to rescue her. He put long, spiked cleats onto his boots and, using a leather strap wrapped around the trunk, he started up. Painstakingly this man climbed fifty, sixty, seventy feet up the tree. Just as he reached out his hand to grab the cat, she backed away frightened . . . and fell.
Because of China’s bad choice to climb up that tree with no way to get back down, she was in a very dangerous spot. Then to make matters worse, when someone wanted to rescue her, she backed away from him and didn’t want his help. This led to a fall that could tragically end her life.
You and I have made some pretty bad choices in our lives too. Our choices have been sinful ones. And we also have backed away from the one person who can rescue us from the danger we are in. The one who wants to rescue us also loves us - the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees exactly where we are in our sinful lives and wants to save us from our sins. But like China, we back off and don’t want help.
On the long way down, China bounced off a few branches. The logger called out to the men below what he could see: “She bounced off a rock and slid into the water . . . I see her trying to swim!”
Quickly the campground director climbed down the rocky bank and waded out into the water. He picked up China as she was struggling to climb onto a rock. He saw that she had been badly hurt by the fall.
The campground director rushed China to a veterinarian where she required immediate surgery for a broken hip and broken leg. The surgery went well, but the owners didn’t want to pay the very expensive bill and gave up all claim to the cat. People in the local community got together and collected money to pay for the surgery. After recovering from her injuries for several weeks, China was put up for adoption. You will be glad to know that China now has a new home where she is loved and well cared for.
If you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you are in great danger too. God’s Word says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). To rescue us from our sins, the Son of God came to this earth and went all the way to the cross. “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:33For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3)). Because of the price He paid for sin, all who believe on Him will be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:1515That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15)).
How sad and fatal will be the fall of all those who refuse His call to be saved from their sins. When they leave this world, they will be sent away from His presence for all eternity. The saddest part is that it doesn’t have to happen. “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:99The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)).
Do you hear the voice of the Saviour calling to you to come to Him and be saved? Will you let Him rescue you from your sins?
ML-06/05/2005