When my sister and I were growing up, going to the swimming pool was a pretty big deal.
We lived out in the country our entire lives, so it was anywhere from a 10 to 17 mile drive one way to any public pool. Not incredibly far, but far enough when you weren’t old enough to drive.
I remember the first summer we moved to Southeast Kansas. I was about 11.5 ish years old and my sister had just turned 10. Our Grandma Lacey was in town from Missouri, so she agreed (after much begging and cajoling) to take us to the pool for the afternoon.
My sister and I were relatively obedient children, at least to authority figures other than our parents. (Sorry, Mom and Dad.) We know basic rules of all swimming pools: No running (and yes, stiff-legged power walking would result in the lifeguard blowing his whistle at you), no food in the pool, no rough housing. Pretty basic stuff.
We weren’t Olympic swimmer athletes, but we had taken swimming lessons for the majority of our young lives, so we could at least keep ourselves afloat.
My sister and I lined up for the diving board, doing the “Ouch-the-cement-is-so-hot-on-my-feet-hurry-up” dance. We each took our turn jumping into the water. As we swam toward the surface, we were greeted by the dreaded whistle of the lifeguard.
Apparently, this chlorinated establishment had a rule that you couldn’t go off the diving board unless you could swim across the pool. Ok, good to know. We could do that. We jumped in and started our swim. A couple of moments later, I heard the rapid “tweet, tweet” of that lifeguard’s whistle. I turned around and realized she was jumping in the pool– after us.
I was confused. I was relatively certain I wasn’t in any danger. (Sis said later she wasn’t either.) Maybe we just looked like weak swimmers, I don’t know?
Either way, that lifeguard swam with us to the other side and told us we were not allowed to go off the diving board.
Um, yeah. Fun day over. I was mortified. And ticked. Because I didn’t need saving.
Or maybe I did?
God is a lot like that life guard…
God Saves.
There are seasons in our lives where we know we need saving. We are drowning and God is the only one who can pull us out. Yet other times might be like that summer swimming experience… we need to be saved, even if we think we have got it all under control.
Today is Good Friday. It’s not Good Friday because of what happened two thousand years ago… It is Good Friday because of the Sunday that happened two thousand years ago.
Good Friday was the day that God made the ultimate commitment to save us at all costs– and that “cost” was the life of His Son Jesus Christ.
Then three days later, His mission to save was brought to life– literally. Christ was raised from the dead.
Dear friends… It is because of this truth, God saves, that we have hope and future. This is not our home. Someday we will be reunited with Him in Glory.
So if you have already embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, enjoy today. Bask in that Truth that God has literally saved your life– and continues to pull you out of the pool when you start to go under.
But maybe you aren’t there yet. Perhaps you are out in the middle of this swimming pool called life, strength failing, arms flailing, lungs gasping for air. There is no better time to seek God’s saving grace than right now.
He will pull you out. He will bring you back from spiritual death. God will save your life.
Because God loves you… He loves me… He loves us all.
And because God saves.
Rejoicing in His Salvation,
“Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.” ~Psalms 68:20
