I will....

     There I am, heart is pounding and my blood is pumping. I am standing on one of the most beautiful cliffs in Hawaii and the sun is shinning off of my face. It was completely wonderful, as I slowly looked over the edge I thought " Don't be afraid, your friend just jumped and so you can do it to!" As I leaped out into the ocean of blue I could feel the wind blowing through my toes and my hair was dancing among the clouds. The water quickly greeted me with arms wide open. Swoosh, suddenly my entire body felt the warm embrace as I rushed back to the surface, the clear blue ocean danced with tiny rippling tides of laughter. As I surfaced, I could see my friend slightly to the left of me, both of us were laughing and enjoying the moment. We began our return to the shoreline when I felt a gentle tug.....

     I began to panic ever so slightly, my mind began to race. As I continued on my return, the gentle tug turned like a sudden storm. Now it felt like I was being pulled by something bigger than a slight fear, it was an undertow! What first began as a few feet of separation from my friend and a gentle word or two, quickly turned into 30 feet of distance met with a complete understanding that I was in serious danger. The tide had turned and for some reason I was caught in an undertow of unrelenting persistence, no mercy! The water began to rise 5 to 10 feet and I was being pulled into a small horseshoe shaped rock face. I knew that if I didn't somehow swim away, I could very well die! As the water turned violent I was being sucked under by the tide, there was not escape; I was in serious danger. For a period of time that seemed like an eternity of fear I began to realize the grave circumstance that entangled me. As my body was pulled under, all I could see was the distorted imagery of my girlfriend looking from the cliffs high above. She gently waved at me and smiled. 

     My thoughts and emotions became stilted and time melted into confusion. I looked up desperately as I resurfaced for much needed air. Chest was pounding, my arms were numb and all I could think of was " I love you Chelsey, I want to have a family; this can't be the end of my life?!" After a period of time my body became to weak to carry on, I begged for God to rescue me as I sank toward the bottom of the sea. I am not sure what all transpired but for some amazing reason my body was pulled up to the surface, it felt like someone grabbed my hands and rescued me from passing out. Next thing I know I'm above water and I see someone jumping from the cliff to rescue me. His name was Jon and he saved my life! He was one of my other swimming buddies. When I finally arrived on dry ground I recognized that Jon could have easily died, we could have drowned together. His courage was amazing and if my soon to be wife had not called on Him I would have died that very day. 

     Sometimes our lives can take sudden turns, things that we could have never seen. We like to believe that we have so much control but eventually circumstances require our sober acknowledgement. Just a few years later my dear friend passed away in a plane crash. That very man who saved me, the selfless act of courage that filled his mind when he rescued me will never be forgotten! I learned something beautiful, something profound. Friendship is truly about sacrifice, about giving your heart without expectation. When I heard of my dear friends death it shook me, I felt guilty even. I wondered why I was alive and he was dead. The one thing that sticks in my mind to this very day was this, I told him these words "Jon thank you for saving my life, whatever I do from this point onward will be a blessing to you as well!" I wanted to make sure that the life I had was going to make a difference, some change! I was going to live a life of inspiration....

  1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.