Throw me a life ring
I recall a number of summers ago when I nearly drowned. It wasn’t the first time. My older sister rescued me the first two times. The third time, I was exhausted and nearing a boat but the waves threatened to take me down and with very little strength left, I called out, throw me a life ring. I had to repeat the request, weakly. I am here today to tell the story. Whenever I look back, it is with a thrill. That day, I risked my life several times doing risky physical activities that were newly modelled and introduced to me. I was like a new born baby, thrown into the deep end, so to speak, and by the time the adventures were adventured, I was bodily spent. I have something called bravado. I am rather ignorantly fearless and without hesitation, I dare to do challenging things, jumping while barely calculating risk, trusting that somehow, everything will turn out alright; no guarantees, just a belief. By Gods grace, I am saved, have been saved and will be saved… go figure that one out dear reader.
 |
| Do you need to be rescued? |
Fighting while going under
The man, the large one who went into the deep and had to call out for help, he overestimated his abilities to maintain himself, to keep his head above water. When swimming became too difficult, he called out for help. I wonder, how long before he called out? How stubborn was he as he attempted doggie paddling, floating, bobbing up and down or trying to swim to get himself ashore? Did he wait until his strength waned? It would appear that he had enough vigour left to make it difficult for the life guard to save him… he was still fighting death when his rescuer arrived. A “resounding thud” that “knocked him out completely” was required before he could be dragged to shore, a floating dead weight, as it were. Now here is your knock out punch dear reader: You can’t save yourself. You are going to die. You can’t stop it. It will happen to you and nothing you do to save yourself will be enough. There is a life guard on duty. He sees you struggling and fighting and trying to keep your head above water and as you flounder, he is waiting for you to call out “help, help… sputter, I am going under”.
Stop struggling, you are saved by grace
We are saved by grace, not by anything we say, do, swim through or to. I told you that the day I almost drown was a thrill. I had pushed myself, used my own strength to get close to the boat but that wasn’t enough, I needed someone to throw me a life ring. I needed to be inside the boat that would keep me afloat, safe on the water, relieved from the real possibility of slipping beneath the waves to a wet death. The thrill, it was in having survived. It was in the knowing that if someone hadn’t been in that boat to throw me a life ring, well, I wouldn’t be here writing and you wouldn’t be here reading this. Providence had me covered, despite my admittedly ignorant belief that I could risk life and limb solo and come out alive. I needed help, a Saviour, a Rescuer, Someone to Redeem me from my misguided belief that I could save myself…
Do you too, need saving? Saved by grace, clothed in his righteousness… faith in Christ can be your life ring and rescue from eternal death. Kill pride, live humbly, knowing you just can’t save yourself.
