The Story of the Drowning Man
It is well documented that drowning doesn't always "look" like drowning. It is often silent and seemingly unremarkable. That's because of someing called The Instinctive Drowning Response.
The Instinctive Drowning Response - named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D. - is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people would expect. There is very little splashing, no waving and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the No. 2 cause of accidental death in children ages 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents). What's more, of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In some of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it was happening. Drowning does not look like drowning.
But for those situations which are obvious enough to attract the attentiion of a potential resucuer, the act of rescue itself can be quite dangerous. According to the rescue experts at ProTraining.com,
Once a person shows signs of drowning, there is very little time left in which to rescue them. That said, do not jump into the water to save a drowning person unless you have been specifically trained to do so and you are certain that it is safe.
A person who is drowning will panic and grab onto anything they can — including an intended rescuer. The last thing you want is for them to drag you down under the water with them.
To that point, Watchman Nee once shared an incident about a man who was drowning in a river. There were several people standing by, but none of them knew how to swim, except for one strong swimmer. However, despite the drowning man's desperate cries for help, the swimmer did nothing but stand by the shore, watching the struggle. The crowd became anxious and started shouting at the swimmer, urging him to go and save the man.
After a few moments, when the drowning man was just about to go under and could no longer struggle, the swimmer finally jumped into the water and swiftly rescued him. Once the man was brought to safety, someone from the crowd angrily asked the swimmer why he waited so long to act.
The swimmer calmly explained, "If I had jumped in earlier, the man would have been thrashing around in his panic, and both of us could have drowned. I had to wait until he was exhausted and no longer trying to save himself. Only then could I rescue him without risking both our lives."
Watchman Nee used this story to illustrate a powerful spiritual lesson. In our relationship with God, we often rely too much on our own strength, effort, and wisdom to solve problems or overcome challenges. We try to take control of situations and work things out on our own. However, true faith requires us to surrender our self-effort and acknowledge our helplessness.
Only when we stop struggling and trying to save ourselves can God step in and work in our lives. Just like the swimmer had to wait for the drowning man to stop fighting, God often waits for us to come to the end of our own strength. It's only then, when we fully depend on Him, that His power can be made perfect in our weakness.
This story teaches the importance of letting go of our reliance on ourselves and learning to trust completely in God's ability to save, guide, and provide for us.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV).
Kind, But Stubborn--And Now Dead
Like most older post-surgery patients, the kind-hearted farmer was warned that he had to do his breathing exercises and tests to avoid pneumonia. He took the nurse's advice nicely, thanked her for it--and then proceeded to ignore it.
After all, he had been farming all his life and done it HIS way. No one told him what to do and even if they tried, HE was always the final authority. That was the state of mind behind his warm, friendly exterior. He came through the surgery all right, did't he? So why was some silly huffing and puffing needed now?
But even as his lungs began to fill up with fluid, he remained unconcerned. His family begged him to reconsider. But he refused, and as the nurse curtly said, "it led to his demise."
We tend to associate stubbornness with all the outward expressions which usually accompany it: an angry, defiant attitude; boastful or profane speaking; gang tattoos, etc. But the fact is, what the Bible calls rebellion, or being "stiff necked," is a state of the HEART which can wear a thousand disguises, even friendly and kind ones.
Before he died, Moses warned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 31:27--"I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!" He had them pegged. Centuries later, their idolatry and neglect of God's other commands led to their conquest by foreign powers, as they were dragged into Babylonian slavery.
Repentance is always a better choice. As Peter reminds us, God does't want "anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). No matter how we appear to others on the outside, all of us must learn to bow before God's greater authority, recognize the truth of His Word, and humble ourselves.
Strike Takes a Bite Out of Hostess Twinkie
An iconic brand is closing its doors:
A small union's stubbornness in contract talks with Hostess is being blamed for the shutdown of one of America's snack food icons, the loss of 18,500 jobs just before the holiday season and much-needed tax revenue from hundreds of plants and shops across the country.
The privately-held company had reached a deal with the Teamsters, but a smaller union representing bakery workers refused to agree to concessions, prompting the mass layoffs and closing down of hundreds of plants, bakeries and delivery routes. That prompted harsh words from both the company and from Teamsters officials.
"We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike," Chief Executive Gregory Rayburn said in a statement. "Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders."
There may be a fine line between standing on principle and selfish stubbornness. The courts and history will have to decide whether that line was crossed in the instance of Hostess snack foods. Nevertheless, digging in one's heels can often be a lose-lose proposition that may even come back to take a bite out of your Twinkie.
"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4).
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