“All right, you can go in now; the lifeguard is on duty.”
The turquoise water of the pool broke into a million crystal sparkles as the children dove and jumped into the cooling water.
Mother had taken Jeff and Jenny, both of whom could swim, to the public swimming pool for a time of fun on a hot summer day. She had little Annie with her over at the wading pool with the other little children.
Everyone had been having a good time for about fifteen minutes when the lifeguard suddenly called, “EVERYBODY OUT OF THE POOL! GET UP ON THE SIDE, BACK BY THE FENCE!”
Mother also heard the urgent announcement and hurried over to the big pool to see what was happening.
As they all watched, fearing that something was terribly wrong, one of the lifeguards had a little, tanned, limp body in a red swim suit by the arm and was pulling him out of the pool!
Mother suddenly remembered that Jeff wore a red swim suit that day. Is that Jeff the guard is pulling out? She thought the lifeguards weren’t moving very fast for an emergency like this.
Jenny ran over to the chain-link fence where she saw her mother standing, watching.
“Who is it, Jenny? It isn’t Jeff, is it?”
Jenny answered, “No, it isn’t Jeff. I think it’s David, from my school. Oh, David, why did you have to go and drown?” she said with anguish. “Call the aid unit.” The lifeguard spoke in a quiet voice, not at all excited. Mother thought, Can’t they help him? Can’t they do any better than that? Her stomach was turning flip-flops and she felt like crying. Jenny was upset, too, and Jeff came over, looking worried.
Then the lifeguard picked up a megaphone and announced, “THIS HAS BEEN AN IN-SERVICE PRACTICE. IF IT HAD BEEN REAL, YOU KIDS SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF THE WATER MUCH FASTER THAN YOU DID.”
And having supposedly drowned, David yelled as he jumped up and dove back into the pool!
Everyone was glad that nobody had really drowned, although Mother was rather disgusted that they would scare everyone like that!
What if David had drowned? His parents would have been very sad. They would have had a funeral with lovely flowers. Nice things would have been said, and then they would have put his body in a grave. But where would David’s soul be? If he knew the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, he would be in heaven where there is only joy and happiness forever. The Bible tells us some of the sad things that won’t be in heaven: “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:44And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4).
But if David had never accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, he would be sent to that awful place called hell. The Bible warns us to “fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:2828And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28).
If Jeff had drowned that day he would not have gone to heaven with the Lord Jesus, because he did not accept the Lord Jesus as his Saviour until several years later. Thank God that both Jeff and David were kept alive to realize they were sinners and needed the Saviour to forgive their sins.
What if you were to die today? Would your soul be in heaven with Jesus? Do you believe that you are a sinner? Have you turned to the Lord Jesus to have your sins forgiven? “Be it known unto you therefore... that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.” Acts 13:3838Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (Acts 13:38).
If you’ll accept Him as your Saviour right now, you will be safe for eternity.
ML-06/07/1992