My family lives in an unusual home; we live on a houseboat. We keep it moored at a dock not far from where my husband John works. He can walk to work in only 20 minutes. The boat is not very big, but it is comfortable. This is the only home our son Joel has ever known. We have lived on this boat since before he was born, and he is now six years old and going to school nearby.
Because he has lived on a boat all his life, Joel knows all about the dangers of water. From the time he learned to walk, he was trained to be careful and aware of the dangers all around him.
When Joel was old enough to play off the boat, we got him special “personal protection devices” to help keep him safe. He wears a life vest in the summer and a special coat, called a “floater coat,” in the winter. Each of these will keep him floating with his head above water if he falls in. He was taught never to leave the boat without wearing one of these.
One day when he was six, this very likely saved his life. Like most six-year-old children, Joel was usually busy and could get into trouble rather easily. In fact, because of the dangers of living among boats, docks, ladders and water, he probably got into more trouble than most children
his age.
This day Joel and his eight-year-old friend Meg were playing a game of tag. Suddenly, Joel lost his footing on a narrow walkway and SPLASH — he fell into the water. I was about 25 feet away, and I couldn’t see him when I heard him cry out. I dropped what I was doing and ran toward the sound of his calls. I could also hear Meg calling encouragingly to him. As I ran around the corner of the boathouse, I saw him in the water, and the tide was carrying him away from
the dock!
Thankfully, Meg, who also grew up around water, was handling the emergency just the way she had been taught by her parents. She hadn’t even waited to call for help. When she realized that Joel was floating away, she quickly threw him a life ring that was nearby which had a rope attached to it. Joel had caught it and Meg was pulling him in as I arrived. The training they both had received and the protective life vest that Joel was wearing had probably saved his life.
Although we don’t like to think about this, none of us knows when something might happen and we could be killed. We have all heard of water accidents, car accidents, fires, earthquakes and other things. Usually there is no time to get ready for such things, because they happen suddenly. This was the case when Joel was playing tag. One second, he was safe on the plank ... and the next second, he was in the water, and he easily could have drowned if he hadn’t been wearing his personal protection device to keep him safe.
Each of us needs to prepare right now to be sure that we are safe for eternity by being saved by the Lord Jesus. Besides the dangers that we don’t know and can’t prepare for, we do know from the Bible that the Lord Jesus is returning very soon. He is coming to take back to heaven with Him every person who has accepted Him as their Savior. They are safe from judgment. After He comes, the opportunity to be saved will be gone forever. Don’t put off being saved! Someday it will be too late. Accept the salvation that God is offering you now. “Now is the accepted time ... now is the day of salvation”
(2 Corinthians 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)).
Messages of God’s Love 2/18/2024