Lake Washington is the biggest lake in the state of Washington and a popular place to go in the summer for boating, swimming and enjoying sunny days. One day a few summers ago, Tom and some of his friends were in a park near the lake.
The young men were by the boat ramp where boaters were loading their boats in and out of the water. It was a “no swimming” area since it was used for boating only. To Tom’s surprise, he saw a man jump from a boat with his little son on his back and begin to swim for shore. He could only guess that the man didn’t want to wait for his turn to use the boat ramp and thought he could get to shore faster by swimming.
Although the day was sunny, there was a strong breeze blowing, and the waves were choppy. The man was not as good a swimmer as he thought he was, for he soon found he wasn’t able to swim through the choppy waves. The people on shore were horrified to see him drop his son off his shoulders and try to make it to shore by himself !
Tom had taken lifesaving lessons and he was willing to help, but which person should he try to save? The man was big, and he could swim, so he might be able to get to shore by himself. Also, he was a bigger man than Tom and might drown both Tom and himself if Tom tried to save him. The boy was little and couldn’t swim at all. Tom could see he was going down in the water. He quickly chose to try to save the little boy.
Tom swam to the boy through the choppy waves, using the lifesaver’s stroke. As he swam, all the things he had learned in his lifesaving class came back to his mind. He swam around the boy until he was behind him, and then he grabbed him around the chest with one arm.
He spoke to the boy and said, “Don’t be afraid! . . . I have you now!”
Tom swam for the dock through the rough waves, holding the boy with one arm and swimming with the other. It was a hard job, and he was afraid he might not make it, but the Lord helped him to reach the dock.
The people on the dock just stood there watching. No one offered to help, until Tom said, “Will somebody help take the boy?” Then one person reached down and pulled the boy up on the dock, and Tom climbed out of the water too.
Are you wondering what happened to the man, the father of the boy? He had managed to swim in by himself and was sitting on the shore, wet and exhausted. And are you expecting that he was very grateful to Tom for saving his son’s life? Well, you will be disappointed to learn that if he was grateful, he didn’t say so. He looked down and mumbled some excuse and never did say “thank you.”
This is hard to understand, isn’t it. If somebody risked their life to save mine, I would be grateful to them for the rest of my life, and I would tell them so. But I have had an even greater lifesaving experience. Someone who loves me very much didn’t just risk His life to save me; He gave up His life to save me from my sins. It cost Him His life’s blood so I could have everlasting life in heaven. I am so very thankful to Him for His great love that has saved me. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:1313Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)).
Do you know who this person is? His name is Jesus, and He loves you and died for you too. If you know you are a sinner, have you told Him that you want to be saved from your sins? Have you accepted Him as your very own Saviour? If so, are you thanking Him every day of your life for what He has done for you?
I wonder if that little boy ever thinks about the day he nearly drowned and about the young man who saved his life. I also wonder if that little boy has heard about the Lord Jesus who loves him and died for him. Tom was able to save him from drowning, but the Lord Jesus can save him and give him everlasting life in heaven.
ML-07/24/2005