In the early morning hours on Friday, September 22, 2023, dispatchers in West Virginia received an emergency call from a man lost in the Kanawha County woods. His situation seemed like a desperate one — he told dispatchers that he had been attacked by a bear and that he was stranded in steep terrain.
But the story grew, and with it, the desperate attempt to find him. He told dispatchers that he had been walking for days, his phone was dying, and he was afraid that he was going to die as well. He said that the bears were circling him and then stalking him. At one point, he told dispatchers that a bear was attacking him and began to scream, saying, “Please help me!” He also claimed to have a head injury that was bleeding.
Deputies and several search and rescue teams including two different fire departments responded to this desperate appeal for help. Flashing lights and sirens were activated to scare any bears away and to alert the man to come in their direction. An attempt was made to get a West Virginia State Police or other agency’s helicopter to assist in the search.
Two hours later, Christian Leonhardt, 47, was finally found. The complaint filed said that he refused treatment from fire and EMS personnel. He was not bleeding and had no visible injuries. He stated that he had been extremely intoxicated and apologized for wasting their time, but that he had just wanted a ride out of the woods. Not only had he been extremely drunk, but he had smashed his side-by-side vehicle in the trees and then stumbled around much deeper into the woods. You can imagine how frustrated and disappointed the search and rescue teams were! They were not impressed with the big lie that Mr. Leonhardt had made up. They obliged by giving Mr. Leonhardt a ride out of the woods and straight to the county jail, where they promptly arrested him and charged him with making a false emergency call before releasing him the same day.
Lying
Lying is very much normalized in today’s world. You see it in politics, in the media, in business and in personal relationships. But God includes lying in the list of sins that will land you in “the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:88But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)).
“We put a lot of resources into this. To find out that’s not factual, that’s disheartening,” Belle Fire Chief David Armstrong told the media. “If he’d have called and said, ‘I’m lost, scared,’ we would have gone anyway. To add that to the story, that was not the right thing to do.”
The fire chief was right. There was a right way to call for help and that was by simply telling the truth instead of fabricating a lie. God tells us how we can have a relationship with Him through His Word, the Bible. We must first realize that we are all sinners before God and cannot come into His presence in our sinful condition. “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-2322Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:22‑23)). But God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. “God commendeth [demonstrates] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet [still] sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)).
Through the perfect and complete work that Jesus did on Calvary’s cross, we can have a relationship with God, if we will accept it through faith. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)). Tell God that you know that you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive your sins for Jesus’ sake. Tell Him from your heart that you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and thank Him for it. Tell Him that you want to make Jesus Lord of your life and live for Him. The rewards are eternal, and you will never regret it! “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)).
Sometimes seemingly harmless decisions are deadly, as you’ll see in The Necklace Knife.