BUCKET OF WATER

In the middle of a lake near Akron, Ohio, is an island that was once the site of a famous amusement park. Shortly after the park lodge was first constructed over a hundred years ago, it caught fire. Firefighters rowed to the island to fight the blaze. A candy vendor working on shore wanted to do his part so he filled a bucket with water, rowed to the island, tossed it on the burning structure and rowed back to shore for more water. It never occurred to him to use the lake water.

While we laugh at the candy vendor, many men try to solve their problems in much the same way. Divine help is available but they ignore it, struggling to solve the human dilemma with human wisdom. After all their exhausting efforts, the fire still burns and little is accomplished.

If we question this premise, we need only look at the recidivism rates in our prison systems. Sixty to ninety percent of those coming out will return within five years. Still we try to rehabilitate without a spiritual perspective. How much wiser we would be to dip deeply into the resources Christ offers to change men. This is true not only with the problems of our society but also with our personal needs.