Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Beverly Riter
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Last month while hiking on a trail along beautiful Maligne Lake in the Canadian Rockies, the unexpected happened. I was about in the middle of a small hiking group, about a mile from the trailhead. A clump of trees had fallen across the trail, so the hike leader started climbing over the trees just off the trail, with other hikers close behind him.
All at once, we saw a spray shoot through the air. Immediately everyone started running away from the spray, coughing with eyes burning. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I thought maybe the leader had gotten into a skunk den. But, no, somehow the safety latch on his bear spray got turned on – it was bear spray! The unfortunate man directly behind the leader fell to the ground and experienced extreme pain in his eyes, head and shoulders.
Once we realized what had happened, everyone offered water to help rinse the spray from him. But, since the spray was oil-based, the water didn’t help much. Once he recuperated enough to walk back out, excursion leaders poured milk on his extremely reddened eyes and his burning skin. Even after over an hour, he was still in intense pain. He was taken to a hospital several miles away for examination and treatment. I felt so bad for this man and how he suffered. The leader who had the bear spray on his belt also felt very sorry for the injury caused to this man – all because the warning on the bear spray can to keep the safety latch secured wasn’t followed.
We see warning signs daily. Our homes include warnings about safe use of kitchen appliances, plastic bags, and medications among others. And there are the many signs about safe driving – speed limits, merging and construction signs. What other warning signs do you see as you go about your daily activities?
The Bible contains many “warning” signs, some for people of Biblical times and some that also apply to us today. They were given by God to keep his people safe and protect them. At the beginning God commanded man to not eat from a specific tree or he would die. (Genesis 2:16-17) He warned Noah about the Flood. (Genesis 6:13) God warned the Israelites not to forget Him; likewise, we shouldn’t forget Him today. (Deuteronomy 6:12-13) In the New Testament, Jesus often used parables to give warnings. The Parable of the Ten Virgins warns people to be prepared for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mathew 25:1-13) The many “warnings” in the Bible are there so His people can learn from the past and look toward the future with God. Have you received any “warnings” from God?