Jumping into an uncomfortable situation

 The summer following my high school graduation, I was employed as a lifeguard at Otter Lake near my hometown of Madisonville, Kentucky. Part of my job was sitting on an elevated chair, blowing a whistle, and yelling at swimmers when they got outside the swimming area or broke some other rule. Of course, I was also available to help someone out if they got in trouble.

One of the perks of working at Otter Lake was getting to water ski for free when I was on break or when I came to the lake on my days off. That was my favorite part of the job. 

A few years later, I was teaching Sammie to swim at Kentucky Lake when our middle daughter, Shannon, got in over her head, and I had to pull her out. She was 5 at the time. As a college student, she worked as a lifeguard at Ogle’s Water Park, in Pigeon Forge.

Stephen Jr. worked at Boy Scout Camp Davy Crockett for several summers, first as a lifeguard and eventually as lakefront director.

With a grandfather, mother, and uncle who were life guards, Katie Grace’s experience, in early November, came as no surprise.

It was a sunny fall day in Wilmington, North Carolina. Shannon and K.G. were with Mike, in his boat, on the Intercoastal Waterway between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach. Probably not their last boat ride of the year, but it would be K.G.’s last swim of the season. Shannon had tried to explain to the 7-year-old “water dog” that even though there were still very warm days in November, the Atlantic Ocean waters were getting too cold for comfort.

A few of Katie’s dolls had joined the party and were riding in the boat, along with the humans and Mike’s dog, Woodrow. Creeping along at an idle speed, they suddenly crossed the wake of a much larger vessel and one of K.G.’s dolls was tossed overboard. Without a moment’s thought, the 7-year-old jumped out of the boat and swam to her doll, rescuing her from the murky waters.

When the young lifeguard was helped back into the boat, she was shivering, and her teeth were chattering. She quickly wrapped herself in a warm towel and practically palpitated while her lips turned from purple back to their normal pink.

After a few moments of recovery, the quavering words of confession passed through her pink-again lips. Mom had been right about the water being too cold for comfortable dips in the ocean.    

Lesson learned: Mom knows best!

Frankly, I was impressed with K. G.’s instinctive jump to save her doll. Sure, it was just a pretend friend, but how many of us would dive into an uncomfortable situation to save someone we love? I might mention, at this point, that although Katie Grace is an excellent swimmer, she always wears a life jacket when riding in a boat. In reality, she was in no real danger.

But back to the previous question: how many of us would dive into an uncomfortable situation to save someone we love? In the early days of the Church, followers of Christ were willing to risk their lives - no life preserver; sometimes even sacrificing their own lives - to save the life, spiritually, of a friend or even an enemy.

How many of us would risk our life to save someone’s soul? Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to save us, so what are we willing to do to let others know of His love and sacrifice? Are you and I willing to even jump into an uncomfortable situation to save someone?

Steve Playl: retired pastor and chaplain, columnist and college instructor – may be reached at playlsr@yahoo.com