"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven."
Ecclesiastes 3:1
So, I have to share this story because I know it was a God thing. Last weekend Rich and I were going to meet some friends at the beach, like we often do on Saturdays. We had a ll decided to meet up at Pensacola Beach/ Casino Beach. Well, we ended up not leaving until a little later than usual due to parking and just the overall responsibilities of the day. Once we arrived at the beach there was absolutely nowhere to park. Our friend Matt called us and asked us if we would want to meet at the next beach a little farther down about three miles or so. It was not our normal spot but, we knew it would be less crowded. So happily we said yes!
The boys (meaning Rich and Matt) decided to try out Matt's new boogie board and head straight for the water. Audra and I began to situate our towels so we could layout and get some sun. About an hour or so into our beach day Audra and I noticed that we did not see our husbands out in the water. Finally, after searching for what felt like several minutes we spotted them. Only they were much further out than we had thought. We noticed they were with a group coming into shore. We watched quietly until to our surprise we noticed they appeared to be helping a young man in his twenties, and a girl about the same age. We waited for Matt and Rich to come back over to us, both of them looking exhausted!! As they came over to our towels they both chugged down a water as they told us the story. Apparently they had both been out swimming when Rich heard a girl screaming "Help!!" quite frantically. Rich asked her what was going on and she told him that the young man she was with was having trouble swimming, and she couldn't help him. What we didn't know at that moment was that the young man and the girl had gotten caught up in a riptide and were taken much farther out to sea than they had planned, or were able to control!!
My husband has always been an excellent swimmer, and has had a love for the water since he was two years old. Rich swam out to the girl and the man. Once Rich approached the man he could tell that the man was panicked, not breathing as well, and exhausted from trying to swim back to shore. The man was saying "I can't breath" !!" Rich told the man not to panic and tried to calm him down.
Rich swam while trying to carry the man into shore along with the young girl who at this point was physically and mentally exhausted as well. As Rich was trying to swim into shore Matt met him with his boogie board and helped Rich bring the two scared, tired, people onto the beach. Matt also ran and brought the people water to keep them hydrated!
I know this was one of those moments where you look back and realize that this event was perfectly planned by God. There were too many factors and events that took place in the day that were out of our control. The time of day, the different beach, Matt and Rich at that particular beach in the water at that specific time.
At first it felt like the day was just not working out as planned, but it really did work out to plan. Just not my own selfish plan, but according to God's perfect plan.
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5 comments:
that's an awesome story sarah!! wtg team rich/matt :)
cute blog btw, i hope all is well with you guys--missed you last time i was in Pcola
You are nuts! There is no GOD plan. Things just happen in this life. That same day in that same town or in some town somewhere, another young couple was driving to find a parking space at the beach and were killed when a drunk driver slammed into their car. What sort of plan did god have for them?
I know that God does not pick and choose disaster. Something you don't know is that in our daily prayer each morning my husband and I ask to be used by God to help others. Always giving the glory to God! I recommend that you think before you speak next time. No man knows another man’s heart. If this blog post offends you do not choose to read it. I however will not stop giving praise to my God for all of the good He has done!
God knows the number of days for every man. Apparently this man had not reached his number yet, so God placed people in his path to make sure he was safe. Some of the greatest warriors in history were as brave as they were because they knew that they were as safe on the battlefield as they were in their living room. Unfortunately for those people (or hypothetical people you pointed out), there numbers were as many.... like many people in my family. Just because some of my family members died YOUNG and TRAGICALLY does not make me discount the fact that God sometimes uses people to help others.
Believing in the spirit-world is a choice.
My God/Jesus is a gentleman, He wants no one to perish. This means God wishes for us not to peish in sin and eternal death.
If you believe in the cross, then you should be aware of the price that was paid for your soul to enter heaven.Someone had to die the MOST tragic death for you, to open the gates of heaven FOR YOU! Naturally,this flesh-body will die. We live in a sinful world until we choose to accept the gift of eternal life.
To live is Christ, to die in Christ is gain. This is my right to believe as it is your right to call a believer "nuts" I suggest you be most careful in what you do not understand. My child's death made me question God and my research brought me closer to God as I began to understand that to know God is to know His word, and His word is true LIFE! Do you go to a Doctor? Do you help your friends or children? We give glory to God when He uses people to show us His love. Death from the world should be our goal at God's designated time. To die on earth is to be born to heaven forever. We will never have to expeience tragedy of any kind EVER again in heaven.
God doesn't want some other nice couple to drown, but the world always offers a menu of tragedies. God allows, He doesn't cause evil. We have free will and so do evil-doers. God cannot exist where evil dwells. Maybe the innocent victims received death undeservedly, but what evil means to proser/God will change for good. As anonymous said,the rescued man had not reached his day to die. I suggest to those who do reach their day today, to be ready. This means all humans. You don't know if people who have had close calls a thousand times, have refused to listen to God's offer of salvation.
So perhaps we, believers are "nuts" to you. We are sealed and guaranteed the promise of a wonderful life in heaven with God, no matter what tragedies hit us on earth.
Blessings and prayers to you!
From a "nut" Christian; Jesus loves you It is His word!
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