Reach Out!

A man dove into a raging, swollen river to rescue a boy who had fallen in.  It was a tough struggle.  The river was high and the current very strong.  The man was tossed about, and then he reached the boy. 

He grabbed him by his outstretched hand and grasped him tightly.  He felt his strength giving way and he thought the boy might slip away.  But he hung on.

Suddenly he saw an overhanging tree branch.  He reached high, his hand wedged between two branches, and he hung on.  It was a miracle of God they both didn’t drown in the cold, rushing water.  

He brought the boy to safety, then took him home, and gave him over to the care of his mother.  As the man was leaving the boy said, “Thank you very much sir for saving my life.” The man put one hand under the boy’s chin, looked him in the eye and said, “That’s okay, son!  Just make sure your life was worth saving.”

Through our faith we believe that Jesus saved us.  He is our Savior.  So many times in our lives we feel like we’re drowning, and we fear physical and spiritual pain and suffering.  For many of us that pain and suffering already has arrived.

All we have to do is stretch out our hands towards Jesus, and he will grasp them tightly.  No matter how turbulent our lives and tough the struggle, he is there ready to grab us and save us.  Knowing this, we all have the responsibility of living a life worthy of the fact that Jesus has saved us through his pain and suffering. 

Some of us already may have decided that our lives are not worth saving. Our lives might be a mess in many ways: estrangement from family members, financial woes, or addictions.   As a result, we won’t stretch out our hands. For those of us who feel this way on this Good Friday, the man on the cross strongly disagrees.  Reach out!

Deacon David Pierce