Lifeguard on Duty

As summer comes to an (unofficial) close, I know I'm not the only one wondering where the time has gone. Rightly so, people are bewailing the end of warm, sunny days... and I'll bet many of you just imagined yourselves on a breathtaking beach, gazing out past the sandy shore where the waves crash with a rhythmic rumble to the distant horizon that joins the sparkling sea with the endless sky. I could expound on the beauty of this locale and how it is a fine example of the way God reveals Himself through His Creation - in fact, I hope to return to this "God in nature" idea later - but for now I want to focus on a feature of this summer scene, a human feature, that is sometimes overlooked but plays a vital role in ensuring that the water doesn't become a cause of tragedy.

By way of introduction, here's a little dark humor:

 

Source

Some of my readers may know that I worked for a number of years as a lifeguard during the summer season. Fortunately, I never had the trouble of only being able to walk on water. (More fortunately, I have been involved in relatively few dramatic rescues.) Lifeguards sometimes get a bad rap as overly suntanned, brawny whistleblowers (pun intended) whose sole purpose is to deprive beachgoers and facility patrons of any kind of fun. ("No running! No diving! No swimming!") While it's true that much of our time is spent enforcing rules meant to keep people safe, our greatest challenges manifest in the form of aquatic emergencies.

I have been responsible for saving the lives of dozens of people. Kids, teens, adults, strong and weak swimmers alike. After the realization of their impending drowning, within a few shades of emotion the victims' responses are all the same. The victims start to flail futilely, beating at the water. They gasp for air, unable to call out and dreading that the next breath might be their last. Sometimes they look over to the lifeguard chair, the terror in their eyes begging for help. And the most horrifying part of all is that, but for the sound of splashing, their demise transpires in deafening silence. For even a seasoned lifeguard these frightening incidents can get him thinking, "Please, God, let me reach him in time."

In the waters of life, even the strongest swimmers can get swept away by the current. Responsibilities, circumstances, fears, temptations, and the weight of our sins all threaten to pull us under. When the sufferings of this world overwhelm us we can feel like we no longer are capable of keeping afloat, catching our breath, being saved. In essence, we feel like we're drowning. Thank God Jesus is our lifeguard.

Recalling the story of The Walking on the Water, St. Peter was petrified by the rising wind and in his distress abandoned his faith in Jesus and began to sink into the sea upon which he had gingerly trod. Is it not true that we continually profess our devotion to Christ only to be shaken in our conviction at the first sign of tribulation? Still, even in our human frailty, God loves us so much that He comes to our rescue as soon as we ask. So much that He promises to do so over, and over, and over again. Because very simply, we will find ourselves in new riptides as our lives progress.

With the help of God's grace we can become stronger swimmers and brave fiercer waters, but we can always rely on His unfailing strength to buoy us when the waves get rough. Ours does not need to be an audible cry; rather, it is nothing more than the soundless yearnings of the heart that He needs to hear. Jesus is Lord and Savior, and He will lift every desiring soul from the darkest depths into the light of new life.