Judge Donald Goodwille had been out fishing Labor Day morning two years ago. Suddenly, the winds had come up strong from the northwest. He quickly turned his boat around and returned to his home in South Haven, Michigan, overlooking Lake Michigan.
As he sat on the patio behind his home, he could hear the eight-foot waves crashing against the steel sea-wall. Although the winds had increased to 35 MPH it was still quite warm. Because of the trees and thick brush growing down the steep side of the bluff, he could not see the violence of the waves—he could only hear it.
Suddenly, he thought he heard something else. Caught up and carried with the sounds of the wind and waves were human voices screaming.
Goodwille ran down the bluff shouting back to his wife: “Call for help!” When he got down to the sea-wall all he could see were the huge waves and their spray. “It was complete turmoil down there,” he recalled.
And then, 20 yards out in the water he caught sight of a man floating limply in the toss of the waves. The man was unconscious and possibly dead. Goodwille kicked off his shoes and went over the seawall.
His family had owned this home for many years, going back to his grandfather. For years the judge had been swimming in this area. He knew the shore well, but he also knew that it often changed. Lake Michigan changes daily—its strength, its current, its undertow, its mood. And it was in an angry mood when Goodwille jumped in.
Fighting the violent waves, the judge swam out to the man. He thought the man was dead as he dragged the limp body back to the seawall. Using the lift of the crashing waves as a push, he heaved the man up and over the wall.
“I started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him. All of a sudden he came to and started choking. The color came back to his face, and I knew he was alive! I was bushed,” he remembered as he told the story again.
Just then Goodwille’s brother-in-law, John Kohn, came running down the bluff from the house. At the same time John Rettig of the Coast Guard, alerted by the call from the judge’s wife, arrived by car. Although the Coast Guard station was just a short distance up the shore, the lake was much too rough to bring a boat close in to shore.
Then they heard more yelling coming from out in the lake. Loong out they saw three more men clinging to pieces of an old wooden pier. The men were struggling to keep from being washed off their fragile support.
We don’t have to look very far to find people who are struggling to keep afloat in this life. Satan is dragging them under, and they have no strength to fight against him. They struggle to hold onto “a good life,” “going to church,” or anything else that they think will keep them afloat. What they really need is help from a saviour. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Saviour for sinners. He is ready, willing and wants “to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.” Hebrews 7:2525Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25). This is the only way a sinking sinner can be saved. The Lord Jesus died on the cross for everyone who will believe in Him. “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” Matthew 18:1111For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11).
“I was completely worn out,” Judge Goodwille remembered, “and I told Rettig there was no way we could go the 30 yards out to the three men without life preservers and a rope.” So while Rettig ran to get life preservers and rope, Goodwille and Kohn shouted words of encouragement to the men in the water. They didn’t seem to understand and kept calling back in Spanish.
Rettig returned with preservers. Putting them on, he and Goodwille went over the wall and into the water. Immediately Rettig was swept under by the undertow. Unable to fight against it, he was lifted by a wave and slammed into some metal pilings. His leg was ripped open. Later, 22 stitches were needed to close the wound.
Rettig called for help. Together, Kohn, who was still on shore, and Goodwille got Rettig out and back over the wall. Then Goodwille alone swam back out for the three men in the water.
“I reached one of the men. He was so tired I don’t think he could have made it too much longer. I motioned for him to grab onto my back. We struggled toward shore. When we finally reached the wall Rettig and Kohn pulled him up by the shoulders and I pushed.”
Goodwille went out for the next man. He brought him in the same way on his back. Then he went back out once more and brought in the last man. “I was really fighting the waves and swallowing a lot of water,” Goodwille remarked.
When the last man had been pulled in from the lake and up over the seawall, Goodwille was too tired to get himself out of the water.
Afraid of being smashed against the wall, he pushed himself off and floated down to a lower part of the wall. Then, just as he had hoped, a giant swell picked him up and hurled him over the top.
“I couldn’t move,” the judge recalled. “I had to rest for 15 minutes. The four men we rescued were in better shape than I was.”
Completely exhausted, the judge had to be helped up the bluff. In 30 minutes he had saved the lives of four men whom he had never seen before.
Goodwille was sincerely thanked by the four men and their relatives who had watched the whole rescue operation from the top of the bluff. The Coast Guard awarded him the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his efforts. Kohn and Rettig were also given awards for their assistance in the rescue. Why were these three brave men recognized in this way? Because the Coast Guard and those who were rescued knew that if it had not been for Judge Donald Goodwille, four men would have drowned.
Those of us who have accepted the Lord Jesus as our own Saviour also recognize that except for the love of God we could not have been saved. The Lord Jesus died for us. He was punished on the cross for our sins. He did all this for us because we were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:11And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1)) and could not rescue ourselves.
Now what about you? The Lord Jesus is patiently waiting for anyone who will trust in Him. We know that very soon the door of salvation will be closed. If you are not inside when it is closed, you will be lost in your sins, and there will be no rescue then. The Lord Jesus wants to save you right now.
ML-01/17/1982