By Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
When I was in fourth and fifth grade, I took swimming lessons at the Cadwell Community Pool. Because I was an advanced swimmer, much of my training focused on lifeguard techniques. We practiced rescue drills repeatedly, learning not only what to do when someone was drowning but also what not to do.
One summer, our neighbors and dear family friends, Charles and Donna Smith, invited us to swim in their backyard pool. My youngest brother, James, was allowed to play in the shallow end but was not permitted near the diving board. While Mr. Charles cleaned the shallow end, I continued jumping into the deep end, assuming James was safe.
When I surfaced from another dive, I realized James was gone. Looking toward the deep end, I saw him sitting motionless on the bottom of the pool.
Every bit of my lifeguard training disappeared.
Without thinking, I dove straight down. Instead of following the rescue techniques I had practiced, I reacted as a frightened big sister. I reached James and pushed him toward the surface, but in his panic, he clung to me so tightly that he held my entire body underwater. I couldn’t reach the surface, and I couldn’t touch the bottom. In trying to save my brother, we were both drowning.
Thankfully, Mr. Charles saw us struggling. Without hesitation, he dove into the pool and pushed my torso upward just enough for my feet to touch the bottom. I stood, lifted James above the water, and we were both safe because someone else stepped in when I could not save us.
Looking back, I didn’t nearly drown because I lacked training. I nearly drowned because fear caused me to abandon what I already knew.
Isn’t that often true in our walk with Christ?
Peter knew Jesus had called him onto the water. As long as his eyes remained on Christ, he walked by faith. Yet when fear replaced faith, Peter began to sink—not because Jesus had changed, but because Peter had shifted his focus.
How often do we do the same? We know God’s promises. We know His faithfulness. We know to trust Him instead of leaning on our own understanding, yet when life suddenly throws us into deep water, fear tempts us to forget the very truths that once anchored our souls.
The good news is that Jesus still reaches for those who begin to sink. He has not abandoned us in the deep end. He patiently calls us back to Himself, reminding us that His presence is greater than our panic.
That’s why torn wings still fly. We don’t soar because we’ve mastered every lesson. We keep flying because our Savior never stops reaching into deep waters to rescue His children.
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