When Dianna Rasing woke up on Nov. 21, 2016, she had no idea that her life was about to change.
While swimming laps at the Pam Am pool that morning, she noticed that the left side of her body felt numb. As she made her way to the side of the pool, lifeguard Andrea Orobko realized that Rasing was in distress and came to her aid. Rasing was having a stroke and without Orobko’s help she would have been in big trouble.
One year later, Rasing went back to the pool to meet the woman who saved her life. She gave Orobko a big hug, a package of lifesavers and a super hero card. Each woman said that they had thought about the other one every day since the incident and each felt that they were somehow connected to one another, even though they had not officially met until that moment. (To read the full story go to the CBC’s “Now or Never” homepage).
When I heard that story on the radio, I thought it sounded like something that Jesus would have used to illustrate the truths of his kingdom. For example, just like Rasing, we are unable to save ourselves. However, we too have someone who can rescue us.
Romans 3:23-24 states that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Jesus has jumped into the pool with us, so to speak, and he can pull us to safety if we let him.
The part of the story that I liked the most, though, was the fact that it was gratitude that connected these two women. Dianna simply had to meet, honour and thank Andrea, not because someone was forcing her to, but because she was so thankful that she could not stay away.
Similarly, when we realize what God has done for us, nothing will keep us from him. We will honour him and tell that story, not because it is commanded, but because our hearts will not let us do otherwise.
If you want to find your faith, think about what you have been given. Gratitude is the fuel for every spiritual journey.
“Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
