Just Stand Up!

When I was growing up, our neighbors on the uphill side of our house had a goldfish pond. One day – I think I was about four or five – I was playing around the edge of the pond when I fell into the water. Since this was before I learned to swim, I started hollering at the top of my lungs, “Help!” My mom heard me and rushed out to our back porch. She looked out, saw my predicament, and yelled back at me, “Just stand up!” Being the obedient child that I was, I did as directed. The water was only up to my waist.

In later years, as I have looked back on that experience, I’ve smiled, of course, but I’ve also been grateful for the calm presence of mind that Mom demonstrated. Upon reflection, I’ve also taken away two pieces of wisdom from that day. First, I try to always be aware of my surroundings (and any associated risks). Second, I try to use all the resources available to me (standing on the bottom of the goldfish pond, for example).

Awhile back, I had an occasion to use those two pieces of wisdom (and, yes, water was involved). In Jones Gap State Park in South Carolina one fall, I carefully made my way down to the bank of the Middle Saluda River. I had seen some autumn leaves at the water’s edge which attracted my attention. I mounted a close-up lens on my camera body and locked the combination securely onto my tripod. I adjusted the tripod legs so the camera was only a foot or so above the ground. Kneeling down, I put my eye up to the viewfinder to compose the shot. Then, I sensed some movement off to my left. Carefully, I turned my head and saw a salamander who was curiously regarding me. Not wanting to alarm the small amphibian, I slowly rotated my camera ninety degrees to the left, composed, focused, and took this shot:

While getting this photograph did not involve “standing up,” it did involve (1) being aware of my surroundings (movement in my peripheral vision) and (2) using the resources I had available (a close-up lens, camera, and tripod).

Twenty-four-hundred years or so before my mom helped me, God helped an Old Testament prophet stand up to adversaries who posed a considerably greater risk than flailing around in a goldfish pond. When Nehemiah was rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, he faced not only taunts but also threats of terrorist attacks from nearby leaders who didn’t want the wall to be completed. Aware of his surroundings and using the resources he had available, Nehemiah divided people up so half of them worked on the wall and half of them stood guard. (See Nehemiah 4:16-17.) And the wall was rebuilt in an unbelievable 52 days!