The Rescue

We took the distress call around 5 PM from a shrimp boat out in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat reported seeing a wind-surfer approximately five or six miles offshore and they stated that he appeared to be heading south; farther away from land and deeper into the Gulf. It made no sense to us at all and we shook our heads incredulously. The things that some people will do on the water never failed to amaze us.

It was 1986 and I was a small-boat crewman at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Panama City Beach, Florida. Spring break was just around the corner and the natives were already growing restless; we had noticed a severe ramp-up in the amount of calls we were taking on a daily basis. I was a rookie and this was my first early-spring experience on the base, but the veterans assured me that it was nothing unusual with the rise in distress and assistance requests.

We headed out past the rock jetties and into the open water on a stellar spring day. The Gulf was calm with a cool breeze blowing mildly offshore. Our 41-foot patrol boat glided effortlessly through the clear, teal-green waters and it did not take us very long to arrive at the reported location. Scanning the seas with our binoculars, we spotted the sail of the windsurfer but by that time he was even further south. We closed with him, coming alongside and hailing him, and he immediately asked us what he had done wrong which is what people usually do when the Coast Guard approaches them out on the water.

As we offered to bring him back to shore he replied that he knew where he was going and required no assistance. We asked him what was his destination and he said that he had been out for a few hours and was returning to the beach. He had no idea of his bearing or direction and though he was heading farther into the Gulf, he thought he was going back home. Once you pass a certain distance from shore (at least before the high-rise condos went up along the beach) you can lose site of land on the horizon and it is easy to become confused. Had the shrimp boat not reported him it could also have resulted in a fatal error on his part. As he continued to insist that he ‘knew where he was going’ and he ‘didn’t need our help’ we nonetheless almost forcefully took him and his wind-board on board our vessel and took him back to port. He was not intoxicated, as tests later confirmed; he was simply lost and did not realize it.

Paul writes in Romans 3: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” And then he sums it up in a later verse, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Looking back over time and knowing the situation and how things appear on the water, I can understand why the surfer had no idea he was lost. You can lose site of the horizon when you become wrapped up in what you are doing and in a sense can very easily ‘go out of the way.’

A lot of folks face the same situation in their lives. So many things appear to be more important in life than going to church or seeking to know God personally. Satan uses that trick and it seems to be one of his favorite ploys. A surfer who does not know or understand that he is lost can never be found. In his own mind he was never lost – the idea never crossed his mind. He had things under control and knew exactly where he was going, or so he thought.

A person who thinks he has it all covered can fall into the same boat (no pun intended!). We can raise our children and be a good husband or wife, and avoid committing the really bad sins in our lives. We can never use alcohol or drugs, abstain from the other things that the world sees as wrong, and even show up at church on Easter or at Christmas. We can compare ourselves to others and in our own mind we might look pretty good. But despite all the good things we may do, the Bible assures us that without Jesus in our hearts we are lost.

We can’t ignore God. We can’t distract God by pointing our fingers at others that we perceive to be worse than ourselves. And we can’t get to heaven by utilizing supposed credit accrued from our good works. We have to realize that we are lost and going in the wrong direction spiritually. Once we accept that basic fact then we will find ourselves able to reach out with our hearts for the grace that is readily available to save us. Admit the mistakes, give up the controls, and Jesus will provide the safe ride home.