My life did not flash before my eyes. I was too concerned about how – or if – I was going to make it back to the beach. Our family trip that day was not supposed to end with me drowning in a riptide.
It was our first day on the beach with our rented boogie boards, and I was the first one in the
water. Wanting to catch the waves where they were breaking, I headed away from the shore. By the time I realized they were breaking too far out, the water was over my head. On the board from the waist up, I started kicking to get back to the beach. After a couple of minutes I had not made any progress. In fact, I was farther away from the beach and farther down the shoreline. The board was strapped to my wrist so I let it trail behind me and began to swim. I swam until I was exhausted and swallowing water, but I was even farther from shore. No matter what I did or how hard I worked, I could not save myself.
Seeing I was in trouble, my husband grabbed another board, left the safety of the beach and came to my rescue. My three children watched from shore. I could hear the youngest crying for me. When Wayne reached me, he calmed me down and talked me through riding out the riptide so we could get back to the beach. Moments later I was reunited with my family.
The next day I learned that one or two tourists die each year in rip tides at that very beach. I thank God I was not a statistic.
Have you ever had a brush with death? If you’re a Christian you have. You’ve been pulled out of the rip-tide of eternal condemnation by a loving and merciful heavenly Father and plopped into the safety of the Kingdom of God.
If you’ve never given your life to Christ – if you’ve never entered into a saving relationship with Jesus – then you still face an eternity separated from God. Don’t wait another day. Accept the rescue He offers. Don’t be an eternal statistic. (How to know Jesus)
If you’ve experienced God’s eternal rescue, share a bit of your story with us today. How did God save you? What did He save you from?
*This story is excerpted from “God’s Truth Revealed” by Kathy Howard, published by New Hope Publishers, 2010.
I was seven when I turned my life over to Christ. However I remember with vivid clarity the fear I lived in before accepting His gift of grace. I had a dream of what hell was liked. I was strapped down to a table, I could not move and barely struggle. That wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that I was burning, but it was not like there were flames that could be put out. No, I was burning never to stop. There was no beginning or end to the pain, no hope that it would stop. Christ saved me from a life of fear. Praise Him who loves me, wretched though I am, and died while I was His enemy. What a blessed Savior we have!
Kathy ~ I didn’t know you almost drown in a riptide! They are dangerous. But obviously, not as dangerous as the sin that separates us from God.
Thank you for such a practical example of our need for the great Rescuer of our souls to pull us from the grip of death and place us ever-so-safely on the shore.
Love it!
I never had a brush with death before (that I can remember anyways). However, I am glad to hear that you are ok. Thank the Lord for that!!! Have a bless weekend!!!