When
Dianna Rasing woke up on November 21, 2016, she had no idea that
her life was
about to change.
While
swimming laps at the Pam Am pool that morning, she noticed that
the left side
of her body felt numb. As
she made her
way to the side of the pool, lifeguard Andrea Orobko realized that
Rasing was
in distress and came to her aid. Rasing
was
having a stroke and without Orobko’s help she would have been in
big trouble.
One
year later, Rasing went back to the pool to meet the woman who had
saved her
life. She gave Orobko a
big hug, a
package of lifesavers and a super hero card.
Each woman said that they had thought about the other one
every day
since the incident and each felt that they were somehow connected
to one
another even though they had not officially met until that moment
(To read the
full story go to the CBC’s “Now or Never” homepage).
When
I
heard that story on the radio, I thought it sounded like something
that Jesus
would have used to illustrate the truths of his kingdom. For example, just like
Rasing, we are unable
to save ourselves. However,
we too have
someone who can rescue us. Romans
3:23-24
states that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
and all are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by
Christ
Jesus”. Jesus has jumped
into the pool
with us, so to speak, and he can pull us to safety if we let him.
The
part of the story that I liked the most, though, was the fact that
it was gratitude
that connected these two women. Dianna
simply
had to meet, honour and thank Andrea, not because someone was
forcing her to,
but because she was so thankful that she could not stay away.
Similarly,
when we realize what God has done for us, nothing will keep us
from him. We will honour
him and tell that story, not
because it is commanded, but because our hearts will not let us do
otherwise.
If you want to find
your faith,
think about what you have been given. Gratitude
is the fuel for every spiritual journey.
“Thanks be to God!
He gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
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