The summer had been very dry and most of the farm ponds had dried up. One late summer afternoon my brother, Randy, and I were trying to find something to do. We decided to walk to one of the farm ponds to see how low the water was. Well this pond was dry. The surface was all cracked and crusted over. We decided, and to this day I do not know why, to walk through the middle of it.
I was the oldest, so I started walking first toward the middle of the pond and as I got closer to the middle I started sinking. I told Randy to stop and turn around and get out. Well, he didn't listen and kept on following me. I finally got out , but Randy got stuck. He could hardly move and every time he did, he would sink a little more. It was that old smelly blue mud, as we used to call it. He was in mud up to his waist and still sinking. I could not think of anything else to do. Randy and I had been in tight spots before, but this one was getting serious. As bad as I dreaded it, I had to go get our dad.
I ran all the way home wondering if Randy would be under the mud when I got back and also what kind of punishment I would be getting for doing something so stupid and dangerous. Well, I was out of breath when I told mother and dad the situation. My dad told me to go get the tractor and bring it to the pond. The tractor was down the road at my uncle's house. I ran as hard as I could and had already kinda started to tear up, because I didn't think I would get back in time. All I could think of was Randy buried under that blue mud.
I got the tractor started and had it going as fast as it would go. Then, with great relief, I saw Randy and dad coming down the road. As I got closer I could see that Randy was alright, but he and my dad had mud all over them. For a split second I started to laugh but then I saw my dad's clothes, all muddy. He had on his church clothes. I had forgotten that it was Wednesday. Instead of being at the pond, we should have been getting ready for church. Looking down at dad's good shoes covered with blue mud made me sick. I knew then I was really going to get it.
I talked to Randy about this today, because I could not remember getting punished for this. He said we didn't. All dad did was take us to the utility room. He made us take our clothes off and washed us down. He said dad was too scared to do anything to us. We both had a good laugh about it. But, I realize if dad hadn't been home, Randy would not be here today and a happy memory we have today could have been a very painful one.
We all, at some point in our life, get stuck in "blue mud". The problems we have tend to grow and make us feel as if we are sinking and can't breath. The help from others is needed, at times, to get us unstuck. We have many in our communities now that are having hard times.
In our country today, we have walked on a dry looking pond like Randy and I did only to start sinking in "blue mud'. We are up to our chest and can't get out by ourselves. Someone, go get our father, our Heavenly Father that is. He will get us out if we let Him.
As a nation, we need to come together as never before. As Christians, we need to pray to our Heavenly Father as never before and also put all of our trust in Him. If we humble ourselves, He will lift us up.
Read: 1Thess. 5:17; Prov. 3:5-6 and Jas. 4:10 . Have a good day!
Please send any comments to rhepler52@gmail.com
Thanks,
Rick Hepler
