Heard a story about a group of castaways whose boat capsized at sea and they washed up on shore of a deserted island. They spelled out the word “HELP” in big letters on the beach with leaves and branches. The sign led to their rescue when a pilot spotted it from the air. This story caught my attention right away and, in some way, seemed so unrealistic. It sounded more like an episode from “Gilligan’s Island” instead of real life.
I wondered, with all of our progress and technology today, if people still cry out for help by spelling it out on the beach?
Just like that pilot, we are all flying around in our planes, safe and already rescued. And if we are not careful, we will simply miss the signs.
We fly from one destination to another, in our hurried lives, forgetting why we were rescued in the first place … forgetting that we are on a rescue mission every day … forgetting that we are rescued to rescue.
When you view your life through the lens of “rescue,” things become quite clear. The truth is, we should focus on being rescuers each day. Otherwise, we miss seeing the people around us crying out for help, spelling it out on the beaches of their lives any way they can.
Little Diego lived in the hills of Guatemala. He was living at the Baby Rescue Center where he was receiving medical care, nutritious food, and all the love that he needed. He was a happy baby, but his smile did not tell his whole story.
You see, Diego was literally found in a trash heap when he was just a few days old. All that saved him was his little leg sticking out of one of the boxes. Someone saw. Someone stopped. Someone rescued him.
Some rescues, like Diego, are dramatic. They are life-and-death moments. And some are simple everyday encounters. But the moment of rescue is always right in front of us, if we choose to see.
We know what it’s like to be rescued. And I believe God is calling us to restore hope to a hurting world … we’ve been rescued to rescue.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 ESV