One time I went on an annual camp-out trip with a large group of elementary school students and their parents. It was an exciting fall weekend to welcome new families and take time for freedom from our urban environment, to enjoy the beauty of nature in the wooded mountains, looking out on a beautiful, clear lake.
After a long, hot day I returned to the campsite just past dusk and headed toward the thermoses and bottles of drinks. I saw that the juices were empty, so I opened a thermos and poured myself a cup of water, drinking down a large gulp to quench my thirst. As I swallowed, I tasted that it wasn’t water but kerosene for the oil lamps. Immediately I rejected the notion that this was harmful, and these words of Jesus came to me: “If they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them” (Mark 16:18).
Two of the parents saw what had happened and asked if they should go and get a ranger to take me to a hospital, even though there was no way to go except by helicopter. I put their minds at rest, and they saw that I was not reacting to what could have been a serious dilemma.
