01/02/2024
While I was reflecting on this past year and thinking about all of our blessings and how 2023 was such a great year for us, I thought about something that happened a few months ago that I never shared on here. I feel led to share it now because it was truly a very scary situation that turned around for good. Since we had just moved right by the water, Carlie was asking me to take her and her friend swimming one day. We found a nice spot right down the road and found a little sandbar where we hung out for a while. The current was very strong that day. We weren’t far from a boat launch where several people had been launching their boats and passing by. After a while, we got caught in the current and started trying to swim to the boat launch. Of course there was no one around at this point, and the current just kept pulling us further away. I remember telling Carlie and her friend to keep themselves up and try to swim because I couldn’t get to them. When you reach the point where you can no longer feel your legs or arms, that’s when panic sets in and you can’t think straight. All that was left to do was scream for help, but there was no one around. I screamed so many times that a lady on shore heard me and started telling these younger boys to jump in their boat and come help us. I just knew we would be ok after that, but then the lady started yelling that Carlie was going under. I couldn’t see her and was barely keeping my head up, and I’ve never felt more helpless as a mother in my life. Knowing your baby is in trouble and not being able to help is a feeling I never want to have again. That’s when I yelled, “God, please help us!” And I just kept yelling that and crying out to Him. When desperation mode sets in, you don’t care who hears or sees. Finally, those young boys made it to Carlie amd her friend, and I remember telling them to just get them out of the water and not to worry about me. I tried to hang on to the side of their boat to keep myself afloat, but my arms felt like jello. But I was trying to make sure they were ok first and foremost, plus I couldn’t fit in their boat. I just held on and tried to catch my breath when literally out of nowhere, this other boat appeared with a man in it who came around and pulled me out of the water. They took us to the boat launch and helped us get out and made sure we were ok. The lady on the shore was there the whole time trying to make sure we made it out of the water, and she was crying by this point. She came over and checked on us and hugged us. I just sat there in shock for a while and then the tears came. I cried and cried. Later that night, I was taking a bath and trying to rest my body when the song “Jireh” came on. I’ve heard that song many times, but the line that says, “You would cross an ocean so I wouldn’t drown” had a whole different meaning now. I just laid there and wept and thanked God because that day could’ve ended very differently. And I know so many people will ask why I give the credit to Him when it was the “people” who came and helped us. But who sent those people at that exact moment? Who sent the man on the second boat when there was no one else around? Who heard my cry for help and came to our rescue? Who crossed an ocean so we didn’t drown? Who protected me and my daughter and her friend? This is what it means when we say that God will turn a bad situation around for His good. Now we are alive to tell this story. We are alive to give Him the glory. I have SO many testimonies from my life, BUT this one is the scariest and hardest to tell because it involved children as well. THIS is my glory story. THIS is why I choose to serve Him. He loves us. He protects us. He keeps our families in His hands. He cares even about the birds and animals, so how much more does He love us? If He dresses the lilies with beauty and splendor, how much more will He clothe you? If He watches over every sparrow, how much more does He love you? All you have to do is cry out to Him and He will rescue you. No matter what you’re going through, He will rescue you. When you reach the point of desperation, it doesn’t matter who hears or sees. If you’re feeling swallowed up by a giant ocean, cry out to Him, and HE WILL RESCUE YOU! Whatever it is that’s “drowning” you, take it to the cross. Don’t get swallowed up by the evil things in this world around us. This year, I have promised Him that I will try to be grateful everyday of my life and will strive to give my best in everything I do. Will I fail? Absolutely! But will I get back up and keep trying? Absolutely! If you choose to give this year to God, watch and see what He does in your life and for your family! And if you ever feel like you’re drowning, I encourage you to listen to the song “Jireh!” He’s more than enough!
