The lively sounds of the swimmers in the nearby breakers drowned out the nine-year old boy’s frantic cries for help.
The day had begun with all the promise of a day at the beach. The boy, his two older brothers and their mom piled into the car. They brought all they would need. Towels, a blanket, his oldest brother’s air mattress and an old black innertube. The four joined another family, friends from the air base, for a time of fun.
The boy’s mother kept a watchful eye from shore as her children splashed in the waves. The oldest brother carried his air mattress to where swimmers enjoyed the breaking waves.
That left the two younger boys contending over the lone innertube. A compromise was set. Each would have fifteen minutes at a time to use the flotation device. However, fifteen minutes seemed to last longer when one is playing in the surf. With no watches handy this time limit did not get strictly enforced.
The boy became impatient waiting for his turn and accepted the offer of a ride on an air mattress with a friend. This started out well. For a while they remained in the quieter shallow water. However, his friend grew tired of this and made way for the breakers. Afraid of getting into water over his head, the boy begged to be taken back to shore. His friend refused.
Beginning to panic, the boy begged to be left off where they were but found the water deeper than he had supposed. This beach featured large flat underwater rocks and he was on one. He inched his way toward shore stretching to keep his head above water. He looked toward the beach and saw his mother talking with a friend. Swimmers only twenty or so feet away from him screamed with delight in the surf. No one heard his desperate pleas.
The youngster inched closer to the sandy beach. Sea water entered his nostrils as swells rose and fell. He stood on his toes and yelled his loudest. Still no one took notice.
A black object approached him from his right. At first, he did not notice, struggling to keep his head above water. The inner tube he had fought over only moments before appeared with his brother behind it. He grasped at his brother who guided hands onto the tube. As he did this his feet no longer touched the rock. He had reached the end of it. Another step and he would have been in water over his head. Back on solid ground only the two brothers realized how narrowly tragedy had been avoided.
Though many years have gone by. I will never forget how my brother saved my life on that crowded beach in Florida. But when I consider this, I think of Another, Who is closer than a brother. He saved me from a life bound for hell. I struggled to keep my head above turbulent waters of my own making. I had no one else to blame. I looked out from my predicament and saw the people around me oblivious to my pain. No one could rescue me. But Jesus went to an old rugged cross and there he paid the penalty for all my misdoings. He reached out from there, pulling me out of my depth of despair when he died for my sin.
I thank God for my brother who saved me from the ocean, and I thank God for my Savior Who saved me for eternity.