June 12th 2011. Just over five years ago. On that day I officially became a lifeguard. It took a lot for me to get to that point. I've never been one to take on that kind of responsibility lightly. You are guarding people’s lives. Keeping them safe. Helping them if something does go wrong. It's a lot to put on a person. But five years ago I took on that responsibility. I became a lifeguard. And I am so glad I did. Now jump forward to June 12th 2016 and we find that on that day I officially became a lifeguard instructor. I am now not only responsible for guarding people’s lives at the pool, I am now responsible for teaching new lifeguards how to do that job. And I have to say, it’s a bit stressful.
Summer is now here and all the pools
and beaches are opening. Seeing lifeguards will be the norm. And we will trust
that these lifeguards know what they're doing and will keep us safe. It's so
easy to trust someone in a lifeguard shirt. We don’t know who trained them, we
don’t know if they remember everything they learned, we don’t know if they are
having a bad day and aren’t paying attention, but yet we trust them with our
lives without question. We tend to put so much trust in the human beings around
us. But we're only human. We're flawed. Why do we find it to be so easy to
trust other flawed humans, but yet we find it so hard to trust that one
lifeguard who is not, and never will be, flawed?
The lifeguard I am referring to is
the one who walks on water. Jesus. I think about how much responsibility I have
and how much responsibility these young kids now have and I worry that when
something goes wrong, will I, will they, respond correctly? We are only human
after all. But we have to remember that the lifeguard on the deck is not the
only one watching. And we need to trust that the other lifeguard, the one who
walks on water, will watch over us and make sure we are safe.
Lifeguards have a lot of
responsibility. I have great respect for a lifeguard who does their job well
and you should too. But when you feel like you’re drowning in this crazy life,
remember that it is important to trust other humans, but it is also important
to trust Jesus. He is the lifeguard who will always be watching over you. And
who doesn’t want someone who can walk on water to be their lifeguard?
