When my mom passed away in July of 2019, my sisters and I made a pledge to each other that once a year we would make an effort to get away together, just the three of us. To start this tradition, we had one enjoyable weekend in January of 2020… and then COVID hit! As a result, this pledge was temporarily placed on pause until last week, when our calendars finally allowed us to hit the resume button and enjoy a four-day adventure together in Florida.
The weather was perfect, the food was amazing, and the laughs were plentiful as we spent time catching up and learning about each other’s lives. Things were going along fabulously, but the mood took a brief and drastic turn during the third afternoon of our trip. My sisters were sitting out on the balcony and enjoying the ocean view as I was inside getting ready. Their attention to each other was quickly interrupted by the sound of a mom down on the beach calling out to her son, who was swimming in the ocean, to come back closer to the shoreline. When the boy yelled back that he was stuck in the current, the dad immediately ran out into the ocean to rescue his son. However, the riptides were too strong for even the dad to conquer, and my sisters’ hearts both skipped a beat when they heard the dad scream, “Get help!”
Instantly, my older sister grabbed her phone and called 911 to summon the assistance of the Beach Patrol. However, as she was doing that, a surfer who was on the beach and also heard the plea for help instantly grabbed his surfboard and raced out towards the dad and son. The surfer first rescued the boy by grabbing him from the dad and placing him safely on top of the surfboard. He then threw the board’s urethane cord/leash towards the dad. After the dad was able to secure the rope, the surfer held the board and swam both of them out of the current and to the safety of the beach, just as eight emergency vehicles were arriving. The quick and heroic action of the surfer saved the dad and son from grave danger.
Last Wednesday, we began the church season known as Lent, during which we focus upon Jesus’ journey to the cross. Just as that dad and son on Daytona Beach were in grave danger and needed to be rescued, God knew that we needed to be rescued from our sinful lives, so He sent His Son Jesus, to be our rescuer. As a result, just as the surfer jumped in and saved the dad and son from life threatening riptides, Jesus went to the cross to save us from life threatening separation from God, and through His crucifixion and death, He paid the penalty for our sin so that we could have eternal life.
Afterwards, as my sisters and I were processing what we had witnessed, we concluded that the surfer was the true hero of what had just transpired and how inspired we were by his willingness to help unknown strangers that were in danger. However, you are not an unknown stranger to Jesus. His motivation to the cross came from His deep and passionate love for you and His desire for you to live with God forever. So cling to Jesus because He will never let you go!
In His Love,
Mrs. Palka