Clarity

It wasn’t the first time that I’ve felt raw fear course through my veins. I’ve been attacked by a gorilla in Rwanda, and held at gunpoint by bandits in Haiti. But never have I felt the sort of crippling fear that I felt this weekend as I watched my son be dragged into the ocean by a relentless riptide in Delaware.

The whipping wind and overcast skies made for a less than ideal beach day, but our kids didn’t seem to mind, energized by the towering waves crashing on the beach. Oversized waves seemed like the perfect challenge to our adventuresome 10 year old Keith. With his neon boogie board tightly clutched in his arms, he excitedly raced across the wet sand and into the ocean.

It happened in the space of a heartbeat. One minute we were laughing in the crashing waves and the next, I saw a look of pure terror on his eyes as the churning waters began to violently drag him out into the ocean. A nearby lifeguard began frantically blowing his whistle, but we all already knew that Keith was in trouble as massive waves pummeled him and like a cruel, unrelenting opponent, dragged him out further. Separated from his boogie board, he kept submerging under each wave. I began to desperately swim towards my son, but the distance between us only grew. Panic surged as I realized that the ocean was winning.

The lifeguard reached him first. Holding him tightly, he pulled Keith under each wave and slowly made his way back to shore.

Meeting him in the surf, I grabbed his hand and we walked up to shore as people applauded the lifeguard. In short order, lifeguards made three similar rescues until all swimmers had cleared out of the churning waves.

Safely back on the sandy beach, Keith and I went for a walk. Both trembling as we processed what had just happened, we had one of the most precious conversations we’ve ever had. It’s amazing how a shocking reminder of the brevity of life can bring clarity to the things that truly matter.

There’s a startling line in Ecclesiastes which states, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting…” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). How is weeping in sorrow better than laughing in joy? How does this make any sense?

It’s because any experience close to death brings clarity and has a unique way of bringing life into sharp focus. Almost everyone walks away from a funeral or a near-death experience a bit more thankful for life and loved ones. We feel a little more love, a little more gratitude, and a little more urgency to make our days matter. We have no dominion over death, but we do have dominion over our daily decisions. We can make better, more purposeful choices.

When we are reminded that our days are numbered, we spend less time arguing about politics and more time loving people. We spend less time complaining about trivial inconveniences, and more time sharing the substantial matters of life. We become less consumed with building our portfolios, and far more interested in building up the people around us.

I am deeply thankful to God and a Delaware lifeguard with a compass tattoo on his back. And I’m also thankful for one more reminder of what really matters.

Today is a gift. And it’s one that I’m not taking for granted.

7 Comments

  1. Lisa M Plummer
    August 10, 2015

    The riptides are deadly here in Delaware. I had to be saved when I was 15 years old. I was a great swimmer, too! But a friend was scared and clutching on to me and I could not bring both of us in. I, too, was rescued by a lifeguard. It was terrifying!
    I praise God that you were there for Keith, Peter, with the arms of the Lord encircling him, bringing him to safety. I praise God for the lifeguards and angels set round about Keith, guarding him in all his ways. I pray that this moment of terror really is a marker in his life, a stone set in place as a marker forever. May his testimony be strong and vibrant as to how God reached down into the waves and took him against the tide to safety. May Keith always know that God can enable him to go against the tide and he will LIVE.

    Politics.

    We are called to be world changers, creating a culture for Christ.
    Whether we do it silently in prayer, in the public arena as public servants and elected officials, or as we serve the least of these, one by one, HIS HAND is upon us. There is no line between the sacred and the secular.
    May whatever we do, in word or deed, bring glory to GOD!
    Praising the One who rescues for rescuing Keith this weekend,
    HALLELUJAH!
    In His Love,
    Lisa

    Reply
    1. Dawn
      August 11, 2015

      Thanks for this reply. It is my heart, but you gave it a voice. Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Maggie
    August 10, 2015

    Oh my goodness! This brought tears to my eyes as i read this! What a nightmare! Thank you for sharing and for reminding us about what really matters! Did Laurel watch all this? How is she?
    We love you guys big!

    Reply
  3. Spencer Blanchard
    August 10, 2015

    Beautiful perspective. Glad your little man is safe.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. Keith Duff
    August 11, 2015

    Amen!

    Reply
  5. Martha Hunt
    August 11, 2015

    Golly. I saw out son caught under water when he was three…he’s now all grown, but I will never forget the total terror I felt. I’m so thankful both our stories ended well.
    I’m reading this in the waiting room of MD Anderson Cancer Hospital – all well & just here for a check-up. But
    all around me are people facing big waves & fearing that rip-tide. I pray our Lifeguard is answering their prayers.

    Reply
  6. Ron Frick
    August 11, 2015

    I have a friend who captains the Ocean City Maryland Beach Patrol and I admire his leadership in the face of God’s great and powerful ocean. Thank you for always sharing from your heart and thank you for your leadership at Hope International. You too (and your awesome team) are saving lives.

    Reply

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