If I Knew that Being a Lifeguard Meant Guarding Their Lives

I NEVER WOULD HAVE TAKEN THIS JOB! Yes, another Sponge Bob quote. But I just can't resist. He is so wise for being a kiddie cartoon character. In this episode Sponge Bob is marveling at how "cool" Larry the Lobster is at being a lifeguard. He gets some sand kicked in his face, and the bit on his nose looks like sunscreen. "Hey", Larry chimes, "you've got the lifeguard look!" Yes indeed. Except for the fact that Sponge Bob can't swim! When Larry leaves him in charge of the beach and Sponge Bob finally realizes his dilemma, he cries out in anguish, "Oh No! If I knew that being a lifeguard meant guarding their lives, I never would have taken this job."

I wish many of the so called "emergent, word faith, cotton candy pastors" would admit to this. Most are young, concerning doctrine very dumb, and for some reason they also think they're hip. "Wow, I want to be a pastor! They have kewl offices, get to be in charge of some people, and have the kewl Rev. in front of their name... Vroom Vroom!" So, they get an new idea...somebody kicks a little sand in their face, and "Dude you da man!"

But what about guarding their lives? What about being the shepherd that protects from the wolves and with his hands feeds them milk and meat from the Word? The lives of men and women are to be handled delicately. "[I]t is appointed to men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 NASB). One such pastor, when faced with difficult doctrinal questions, has the mantra of "I don't know". Why don't you know? Why don't you understand the fact that "being a lifeguard means guarding their lives"? Souls hang in the balance, weighed in the scales of God's Sovereign Judgment. His wrath is against sinful men swimming in the waters of sinful humanity. They are drowning, and you're shouting messages of "swim" from the safety of the shore. If you can't do your job, leave your post. Or...methinks you're drowning with them.

My husband was a Rescue Swimmer, one of only two appointed on a Navy ship. Their motto is "So others may live". My husband trained daily. He knew every rule, every drill. One day when a helo carrying Marines crashed into the ocean, my husband was deployed in the rescue. He moved on instinct. He didn't pause, he didn't hesitate. He never called himself a hero, though he received an award for the rescue that occurred within shark infested waters. He knew what he was doing. And he was only trained to save the physical body of men. How much more important are the souls of men?

The Navy Seals have something called "Hell Week". If you can make it past that, you can handle just about anything. Maybe we should have something like that for those who want to be in charge of souls. Just a little something to separate the men from the boys.

"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10