Diving Deeply
Like everyone else in the world, I have been fascinated by the Wild Boar Soccer Team rescue. (My friend M and I have been so caught up in it I told her we were going to have to get together in order to process everything-we've been so glued to the story.)
Now that the team and the coach have been successfully removed, we are learning more about the courageous men who made the extraction possible. One of the most attention commanding stories are the 3 Thai SEALS and Australian anesthesiologist who chose to remain in the cave in order to ensure the boys would make it home safely.
The sacrifices made by those four, and Saman Gunan (the 38 year old retired Thai SEAL who perished while delivering air tanks to the trapped team), pretty much defy logic. Who does that? Who gives up their own comfort, safety, well-being, to go rescue people they've never met? Who hugs their loved ones and says, "I love you, but I also know there is a need that I can provide, and though it be dangerous I will endeavor to provide help"?
Part of what made this rescue heroic is those boys were trapped in such a remote spot. The rescue would take intention, courage, planning, and sacrifice to reach. The rescue was not accidental-the men involved knew prior to their dives it would be rough, arduous, and time consuming.
It's really easy for me to get caught up in the selflessness of these men and forget that God has done just that for me. I may not have been held captive by flood waters, but I am all too acquainted with dark and murky waters-results of my sins, not seasonal rains. And just like those boys I, too, was saved by someone I didn't know at first. Someone who saw the treacherous path and knowing that the rescue would be difficult did not back down but instead said, "Dear child, you're worth it". I, too, was rescued by Someone who gave up their comforts, their prestige, and their self so that I could make it home. Someone who willingly, like those SEALS and the physician, stayed with me until the task was complete and made sure I was safely in the arms of the Great Physician, as well as reunited with my family.
Already, the well deserved accolades are pouring in for the extraction team. These men definitely deserve whatever honors are bestowed upon them and it makes one feel both humbled and grateful that there are men with that tenacity of spirit. However, let us also resolve not to worship the created but the Creator and be grateful that He rescued those who call upon Him not with earthly things such as scuba gear but with His precious, redeeming blood.
Prayers for comfort for Saman Gunan's widow, as well as praises that the team is out of the cave and the rescuers are safe. And prayers of gratitude that there is One who does not hesitate to rescue souls as well.
Now that the team and the coach have been successfully removed, we are learning more about the courageous men who made the extraction possible. One of the most attention commanding stories are the 3 Thai SEALS and Australian anesthesiologist who chose to remain in the cave in order to ensure the boys would make it home safely.
The sacrifices made by those four, and Saman Gunan (the 38 year old retired Thai SEAL who perished while delivering air tanks to the trapped team), pretty much defy logic. Who does that? Who gives up their own comfort, safety, well-being, to go rescue people they've never met? Who hugs their loved ones and says, "I love you, but I also know there is a need that I can provide, and though it be dangerous I will endeavor to provide help"?
Part of what made this rescue heroic is those boys were trapped in such a remote spot. The rescue would take intention, courage, planning, and sacrifice to reach. The rescue was not accidental-the men involved knew prior to their dives it would be rough, arduous, and time consuming.
It's really easy for me to get caught up in the selflessness of these men and forget that God has done just that for me. I may not have been held captive by flood waters, but I am all too acquainted with dark and murky waters-results of my sins, not seasonal rains. And just like those boys I, too, was saved by someone I didn't know at first. Someone who saw the treacherous path and knowing that the rescue would be difficult did not back down but instead said, "Dear child, you're worth it". I, too, was rescued by Someone who gave up their comforts, their prestige, and their self so that I could make it home. Someone who willingly, like those SEALS and the physician, stayed with me until the task was complete and made sure I was safely in the arms of the Great Physician, as well as reunited with my family.
Already, the well deserved accolades are pouring in for the extraction team. These men definitely deserve whatever honors are bestowed upon them and it makes one feel both humbled and grateful that there are men with that tenacity of spirit. However, let us also resolve not to worship the created but the Creator and be grateful that He rescued those who call upon Him not with earthly things such as scuba gear but with His precious, redeeming blood.
Prayers for comfort for Saman Gunan's widow, as well as praises that the team is out of the cave and the rescuers are safe. And prayers of gratitude that there is One who does not hesitate to rescue souls as well.
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