Rescuers!

God is going to send someone that will rescue you. Then one day you will rescue them in return, and together your story will rescue others. He has always been a God of rescues and a maker of warriors for His grace. Shannon L. Alder

Our extended family met last week for a reunion in Panama City Beach, the place where my cousins and I grew up vacationing together in the summers. There were over fifty of us by the time everyone arrived, and it was a week of laughter, fun, sun, and memories. It is so heart warming to see three generations come together to enjoy each other!

This group contains the children, their spouses, their children, and their grandchildren which are part of the offsprings of the four original siblings of my grandparents. The three brothers and a sister were parents to eleven children, part of whom are represented here. The great grandchildren range in age from twenty two to four, and are a great compilation of similarities and differences.

The week presented us with a brand new perspective on rescuers who live and work among us in everyday situations. A rescuer is defined as a person who saves someone else from a dangerous or difficult situation.

We arrived during the height of the rip tide and shark warnings in the Gulf of Mexico which had us all emphasizing the need for safety in the ocean. The first day, we watched with great apprehension as a man who had ventured too far into the ocean was caught up in the rip tide and was pulled out too far to make it back. Emergency vehicles arrived with sirens blaring, lights flashing and responders running with ropes and boards in hand to rescue him. After a struggle to get to him, the first responders managed to reach him and return him safely to shore. Rescuers!

The next day, we watched in disbelief as a fisherman hooked a hammerhead shark near shore. The episode drew quite a crowd of onlookers, and I think we were all wondering how this guy was going to eliminate the shark?! Instead, we watched in amazement as he cautiously guided the shark back over the sand bar and released him into the ocean! This catch and release made us all more aware of our surroundings. Rescuers!

All this drama of the week caused me to take look around the group of us assembled there on the beach, and I realized that among us are rescuers as well. For example, there are cousins who are caring for their own Mothers who are in the hospital or assisted living. Rescuers! There are cousins who give of themselves to go on mission trips to foreign countries to care for orphans. Rescuers! There are cousins who are “stand in grandparents” to those children who have lost one of their parents. Rescuers!

There are among us cousins who have lost a spouse, a child, or both, but through the grace of God have been rescued and have become rescuers for those who face the same situation. Rescuers! There are among us professionals, entrepreneurs, business men and women, teachers, preachers, doctors, dentists, and even lawyers. Each in their own way is a rescuer!

My eyes turned to the group of young cousins who are the great grandchildren of our parents! They would be so proud of this group of young men and women who are rescuers of the faith, hope, and love that were instilled in each of us during our childhood. Rescuers!

Looking back over our lives, I am sure that each one of us can look back and see the rescuing presence of God in the midst of some of our most difficult and trying times. His presence is a constant, never ending one. Just like Daniel in the lion’s den and Jonah in the belly of the whale, Jesus is there to rescue us in our lives. I think we would all agree that a rescuer gives more than they take, has a passion for helping others, and sets the example for all of us.

Thank God for rescuers!