The shrill sound of a whistle rang out over the jubilant screams of children splashing delightedly as the lifeguard dove in to save a teenager slipping silently under the surface of the water.

Moments earlier I had overheard the would be drowning victim joke with his buddies about not knowing how to swim as he ascended the tower to a short waterslide that dropped thrill-seekers out for a 15 foot free-fall before they splashed into 12 foot deep water.

Even though the unfortunate incident could have been avoided if the young man had obeyed the rules of the pool posted at the bottom of the ladder advising only strong swimmers to attempt the slide, the lifeguard did not hesitate to save him.

That’s what Jesus does for all of us.

He knew we would continue to break the rules, yet He did what was necessary to save us.

There have been times in my life when I’ve found myself drowning in my own sin and the shame and guilt that accompany it. I was floundering helplessly. Consequences of my less than righteous choices weighed me down. The more I struggled and strained to save myself, the more exhausted I became.

Until I realized that Jesus is my Life-Guard.

You may not see Him, but rest assured that He is every bit as real as the vigilant lifeguards slathered in sunscreen perched upon their towers at every beach and pool around the world.

Lifeguards are highly competent and ruthlessly trained to place the safety of the swimmers in their pools first, but even they are cautioned against becoming victims themselves. Yet Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. He became the victim so that we would never have to suffer that fate.

Even when our own choices or the actions of others put us in danger, He is the only one powerful, righteous and loving enough to save us.

We must cease our struggling and surrender to the only One capable of returning our feet to solid ground.

No matter how many times we find ourselves floundering He is faithful to rescue us.

It is much more difficult to save a person who is flailing about wildly. Instinctively, drowning victims are likely to attempt to save themselves by pushing their rescuer under. We cannot push Jesus away and expect reach His promised land, instead we must rest in His loving arms as He pulls us to safety.

We cannot do anything to save ourselves. In fact our very attempts to do so, are contrary to our profession of faith in what He has already accomplished. Anything we try to do on our own reveals a lack of confidence in His sacrifice.

The more we take on for ourselves or our friends, the less room we leave for Jesus to do His saving work in us and others.

The desire can be overwhelming to help people we love when we see them slipping under, but we should remain cognizant of the fact that only Jesus can save. We can, however, throw them a life-saving device by providing them with loving messages of The One who has already done all that is necessary for their salvation. We can encourage them to stop their exhausting efforts to save themselves and instead cling to Jesus.

Are you being pulled under by the weight of sin, guilt, shame, sadness or grief? Are you worn out from trying to keep your head above water? Do you know someone else who is? I pray that the picture of Jesus as your lifeguard will bring you the hope you need to surrender to Him.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you that you are the guarder of my life, that in Your arms I can cease struggling to save myself and rest in Your promise of salvation. Help me to remember that even when I continue to make a mess of my life, You are faithful to rescue me time and time again because You love me. In Jesus’ most Holy and Precious Name, Amen.

“Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Linking up today with some other fantastic ladies who are writing about “what you don’t see” at Suzie Eller’s #livefreeThursday! Click on over and check out what they have to say!