Helping Is A Privilege
Last week a spot called paradise, Sanibel Island, on the west coast of Florida, became anything but a beautiful tourist destination as 160-mile winds from hurricane Helene wrought havoc.
Hotels, restaurants, homes, and lives were destroyed.
A man and his dog looked death in the face because of their precarious location, stranded 25-miles from shore on their wave-pummeled sailboat. This boat was their only home.
Desperate for life at any cost, he sent an SOS call.
A Coast Guard helicopter soon arrived and rescue swimmer, Ted Hudson, Petty Officer 2nd Class, was hoisted into the sea and swam to the boat. This is a dangerous operation that can result in broken bones or other injuries. Fortunately, in this case nobody was hurt, but it did take some coaxing to get the dog to jump into the water. Helicopter fuel can run out, so rescues can’t waste time. Man and dog were soon lifted to safety. Exhausted but relieved, the man exclaimed:
“Thank you for saving my life!” But the rescue wasn’t over.
Two more people were stranded on boats not far away and needed to be saved. The rescuers were immediately sent on another mission and they succeeded in saving lives again.
Officer Hudson was asked by a TV interviewer how it feels to save a life. “It feels pretty good,” he replied. “I say it’s a privilege.”
Not many of us will get the opportunity to perform such dramatic and heroic life-saving operations. But occasionally we are all faced with real needs. If we think about how we will respond, we are better prepared. Are we ready to help, or do we make it a habit to avoid people who are in difficulties?
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done” (Proverbs 19.17).
When we help someone, the reward comes to us in the good feeling we get. We discover it is a privilege to help those in need.