Ziggy is said to have been the world’s largest male Indian elephant in captivity and had a reputation for being mean. But Ziggy got careless one day here at Chicagoland’s Brookfield Zoo and fell into the deep moat in front of his cage.

It was no fun to be trapped there for 31 hours in an uncomfortable position with both tusks broken and head bleeding, unable even to move.

Cranes, tow trucks and other pieces of equipment were employed in vain. They could not even move Ziggy’s 7-ton (That’s 14,000 lbs.!) hulk to a more comfortable position. Finally, though, someone thought of building a ramp by pouring gravel — 42 tons of it — into the moat, and Ziggy was freed.

When we learned about Ziggy’s sad plight it reminded us of the fall of man. Through sin man has fallen into trouble and misery and cannot extricate himself. When he deceives himself into thinking that he can surmount the situation by his own efforts he soon learns that he is vainly trying to pull himself up by “his own bootstraps” and his outlook only continues to darken.

Like Ziggy, fallen man needs help from the outside. Trying, hoping, deciding, determining, vowing, looking on the bright side — none of these prove successful; he needs a Savior.

How blessed, then, to know that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” and that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”!

Once we acknowledge our condition as fallen sinners and call upon Him to save us, He is quick to respond.

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