Rescue

 Ive just been watching a programme about people being caught in snow.  Mostly about people being buried in avalanches.  One woman survived for 45 minutes completely buried upside down before being dug out.  Her survival was miraculous.  Lots of people surviving against the odds when they went out without telling anyone exactly where they were going, ill equipped, getting lost, weather changing suddenly.  The amazing thing is that now so many people wear cameras that there is actual footage of people being engulfed in snow - it sort of gives you the feeling of what it might be like.   Not somewhere you would ever want to be!  It never ceases to amaze me how willing people are to put themselves in danger thinking ' It will never happen to me.'  And then it never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which people will go to find someone who is lost - the frantic digging and searching , the launching of search parties, the energy expended to rescue a complete stranger and the danger people will put themselves in to save someone else.  

I was thinking that this is a bit like Jesus who digs in to rescue us when we are buried under tonnes of sin, reaches down to lift us up out of the miry clay.  But then God reminded me that Jesus didnt risk His life to save me.  He laid it down.  There's a big difference.

I would risk my life to save a friend if they were in danger.  If one of them fell through the ice or was in a house fire or was in the path of a runaway train Id probably do something reckless to try to rescue them.  But if they were being held at gunpoint and were about to be shot, would I trade myself for them?  Im not quite so sure of my response to that.  I know I would be terrified. I dont know what I would do.   If it was one of my children being held hostage then Id like to think that I would do that trade.  I hope I would. But making a calculated decision to die in someones place is very different from acting impulsively to try to save someone whilst gambling on the fact that you will be OK yourself.

Strong swimmer Jesus didnt dive in to save me, His friend, when I was drowning.  He sacrificed Himself for me when I was a complete stranger to Him.

I know we know this already.  But it is good to be reminded in the run up to Easter when we celebrate all that His amazing decision and gob-smacking love has done for us.





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