It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in early spring. Our adult Sunday school class had decided to end our Fireproof Bible study series with a Family Fiesta backyard cookout at the lovely home of our class facilitators. Close to 5o people planned to attend. After church my husband, son, and I rushed home to change into some more comfortable clothes. I had a new floral maternity blouse that I put on with my light colored khaki cargo pants. At just 5 months pregnant I took a minute to stare into the mirror. Did I really look pregnant or still just overweight? I tossed around the idea of picking out something else to wear. Maybe a solid color would make me feel a little more invisible. Perhaps I should try on those darker pants with this top? I finally resolved that I was being just a little too self-conscious and closed the closet door.
We grabbed the items we were assigned to bring, loaded up our little boy, Eli, who had recently turned 2 and we were out the door.
Our class facilitators, Erin and Kevin, own a landscape design company so naturally their home is beautifully adorned with flowers, unique trees and shrubbery. Kevin’s special gift, however, is designing and constructing lovely water features into the landscape. And their backyard is no exception to this feature as well.
I had Eli out of the car and on one hip and our picnic bag over my other arm and so we walked down to Erin and Kevin’s backyard. Once I set down the drinks we brought and said hellos I turned my toddler loose and like some kind of wild animal that can sense water from miles away, he was headed, full throttle, toward the lovely in-ground water feature. Luckily I was only a half a step behind him (I’m quite accustomed to chasing the little guy) and grabbed him before he could get too close to the goldfish pond. I took some time to point out the golden fish to him and we marveled at the little waterfall. By this time other kids were arriving and coming over to check out the water. Erin and Kevin may have quite the manicured mini-botanical garden at their house but they have kids too and are no snobs to children rolling up their pant legs and getting their feet wet. One little girl even had a rubber turtle she was dipping into the water.
Eventually I had Eli interested in a little sandbox and it wasn’t long before the food was blessed and we were all sitting down to eat. After lunch, my husband BJ took Eli over to the basketball hoop in the driveway (one of Eli’s latest delights is getting picked up and slamming the basketball into the hoop), which was a nice safe distance away from the fishpond. I walked over to some friends who were tossing around a giant Frisbee and joined in the fun. I kept glancing over to Eli and BJ and the other boys playing with the basketball and thought how cute my little guy was holding his own with the big guys.
Half a minute later I glanced up again but this time my three-foot figure was missing from the rest of the boys. My eyes quickly drew a line from the basketball hoop and stopped halfway across the lawn and there was my little wild man making a mad dash toward the fishpond. I was after him instantly but unfortunately I came up three steps too short of catching him before his feet stepped right off the edge of the rocks surrounding the pond.
Now, it wouldn’t have been so bad, laughable even, if he had just climbed down into the water and stood there. Near the edge, the water was at most waste-deep for him. However my fearless little daredevil practically did a belly flop right smack in the middle of the pond where it was much deeper and in seconds he was face down in the water with his arms spread out, a horrifying sight for any parent to endure.
Of course at this point I didn’t waste any time thinking about my new maternity blouse or light colored khaki pants or whether or not I was going to look like a humpback whale diving into a fishpond at the Sunday school picnic. My baby was in danger and needed to be pulled from the cold water. I marched right into the pond and grabbed my baby out of the water. He was shaken, but okay. He spit some water out, held tightly to me, and laid his head against my racing heart. Erin was there in no time with a dry towel and then ran off to grab him a dry set of clothes. Another friend brought over a dry diaper and in no time Eli was in dry clothes and running around barefoot playing again.
By the time we were on our way home I had stopped shaking and pushed all kinds what-if scenarios out of my head. I thanked God for looking after our little Eli and keeping him safe during his little swim in the pond. Also a few other thoughts entered my head. I thought about what the experience must have been like from Eli’s perspective. How shocking the cold water must have felt to him. I’m sure he was expecting nice warm bath water since that is all his little mind knows. And what an awful feeling when he couldn’t get his footing. I couldn’t bear to let myself dwell on what it must have been like for him to lose his breath for an instant with all the water rushing into his nose and mouth. But how relieved his little heart must have been when he felt his mother’s assured hands reach down and pluck him out of the cold water and hold him tight against her chest. In my mind I imagined his relief and then to my surprise I realized that that same feeling was not foreign to me. I too have felt strong steady hands lift me out of dangerous situations. My rescuer however is the one I call on in times of trouble, my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Psalm 91 is a beautiful declaration of the security we have with our trust placed in God. Psalm 91:11-12 says,
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against the stone.
And verses 14-15 say,
“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
What reassurance these promises hold for us who belong to God!
Later, I also couldn’t help but think about my moment of self-consciousness I’d had earlier that day when I stood in front of the mirror picking apart my pregnant appearance, second guessing my choice of clothes, and wondering what other people would think. None of those things mattered when my child was in danger. Then I thought of Christ who took on the shame and pain of the cross to rescue me from all my sins. He wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of our rescue. What love He has for us!
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
-Hebrews 12:2-3
