It Is A Matter Of Life And Death

     Back in the days of black and white and everything seemed like Mayberry.  I was an innocent lad full of joy, trust and adventure.  Just kidding, I was about 13 or 14 years old and I cared about me and what I wanted and really could careless about others as long as I was good.  I was full of adventure, that part is true.  One particular day my buddy and I went out on a fishing adventure.  This trip left me with a lifetime memory.

     We were wandering around the woods and back roads of our community looking for fishing holes.  I bet that day, we must have fished at least 5 miles of canals.  Countless numbers of fish were caught.  It was one of those care free days where it was just the two of us and nobody else in sight.  We were just enjoying the day, laughing fishing, and just being stupid.

     We reached a place where on the other side of the canal were some apartment complexes.  The canal in this particular spot was probably about 30 feet wide and 10-15 feet deep.  The fishing was not that great in this spot, probably because right on the other side of the canal was an alligator.  It was about 10-12 feet long.  one of the bigger gators I had seen.  We were pretty sure he had spooked the fish and they were gone. 

     After we had been there for about 15 minutes or so, an older lady walking with her grandson was passing by on the other side of the canal.  She looked to be in her 50's and the boy looked to be around 3 years old.  The boy was a bit adventurous and kept trying to get closer to the edge of the canal to look down.  Grandma was a tad concerned as she grasped his hand tightly trying not to let go.  The bank on their side was deep and very steep, she had good reasons to be concerned.  Not to mention the gator that lurked beneath where they were standing.

     Things got a little hectic on the other side of the canal when the 3 year old began to throw a fit and pull away from grandma.  Then all of the sudden, grandma lost her grasp and the boy fell down the bank into the canal. He landed in the water maybe 20 feet or less from the alligator.  Without any hesitation, both my friend and I dove in the water and swam as fast as possible to rescue the baby on the other side.  We knew he was either going to drown or be attacked by a hungry gator.  Probably both. 

     We had no fear, no doubt, no hesitation, no second thoughts, no debates, no pointing fingers or drawing of straws.  We just went, as fast as possible.  This was a matter of life and death, the little boy on the other side didn't have time for us to hesitate.  He needed help right then and without any hesitation.  His life depended on it.  We rescued the little guy from the water.  As far as the gator, I have no idea where he went after we jumped in.  That just did not matter, we never second guessed our first instinct.

     When it comes to life and death, its that sense of urgency, the surge of adrenalin that pushes us to the edge.  We do things that we other wise would not.  We accomplish things that we otherwise could not.  I feel that same sense of urgency when it comes to my faith.  I don't want to hesitate, second guess, debate, point fingers or even draw straws when it comes to living out my faith and reaching the lost for Christ.  I want to always live and react now with such passion and energy that no one in my realm of life will drown in hopelessness or be eaten alive by sin that so easily entangles.  We must run and persevere in the faith.

a Group of Kids I reach out to
without hesitaiton in Nicaragua

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!