A Long Way From The Shore

Matthew 18:12-13
How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

Every year around June/July, the Abney's would take off for the beach.  I used to call it the "Redneck Riviera".  We would travel from Alabama into Florida to our special spot.  Many years it was a house that we rented together with a few other family members.  So think about it... Same road, same house, same beach, same scenario year after year. It was so routine! The same swimsuit, which consisted of the shorts from a previous year and a shirt due to my chubbiness. The same crab net and flashlight for the night hunts along the beach. Even down to the same old blowup raft equipped with paddles and all. (I hope that you are picking up on the "routine" of our trips because I'm laying it on pretty thick)

When we arrived at our destination the very first thing I would do is grab the swimming attire and raft.  Mom would be trying to rub sunscreen on me before I could get the old shirt on, but that was for wimps.  "No time for that mom, I've gotta get in the water!" as I fought her away.  Dad, mom, brother and other family members all lined up as we took the walk to the beach.  I've got the raft above my head leading the pack across the road obviously.

I'm the first one in the water!  Mom, dad and the others are now settling in their routine, which was thirty minutes and flip, thirty minutes and flip.  Well I had jumped into the ocean and forgot the paddles to the raft on the shore.  It really didn't matter that much though, because I wasn't going to go far.  As I was relaxing it the bottom of the raft and allowing the waves to sooth my childhood sorrows away, I lost thought and track of time.  I sat up in the raft and looked toward shore.  Let's just say I almost needed a new swimsuit.  I had drifted so far away from the shore.  If you know anything about Florida and the beaches... I was past the second sand bar.  (Yea, that far)

I started screaming like Tom Hanks when Wilson drifted from him in the Castaway movie. "Daaaady! Come get me!" He was waving his hands and saying, "Paddle back buddy."  To which I said, "Look beside you! I ain't got no paddles."  You know my Dad could have allowed me to drift to Cuba and blame it all on my carelessness, but he didn't.  I'll never forget in my life what he did.  He took off his shirt, leather Jesus sandals and black dress socks and headed out to where I was drifting. As he was coming out to me he still wanted me to paddle with my arms and I would say, "No way, there are probably sharks out here." So he kept swimming to where I was. He grabbed that handle on my raft and brought me to the shoreline.  

Listen today to the Holy Spirit as you read these words... No matter how far you may have drifted, call out to Jesus right now.  Can't you just see Him as He stands up when the cry is heard?  Can't you see Him as He comes to where you are and brings you home?

Donald Abney, daddy, thank you for swimming out to a little boy who was drifting away.  Not only on the shores of Florida that day, but also as a teenage boy who was totally drifting from Christ and headed to Hell.  I know that you came and got me in the raft when I was little, but only Jesus could have swam out as far as He did when I was lost in sin.  Thank you Mom and Dad for pointing me out to Jesus when you couldn't swim to me.  Thank you Jesus for coming to me and saving my life.

It makes me want to sing that song... "Without Him, I would be drifting like a ship without a sail."