What decision would you make?
The Father's Decision
After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns,
the church's preacher once again slowly stood up,
walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief
introduction of his childhood friend.
With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit
to speak, "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off
the
Pacific Coast," he began, "when
a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get
back to shore. The waves were so high, that even
though the father was an experienced sailor, he could
not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept
into the ocean."
The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye
contact with two teenagers who were, for the first
time since the service began, looking somewhat
interested in his story. He continued, "Grabbing a
rescue line, the father had to make the most
excruciating decision of his life....to which boy he
would throw the other end of the line. He only had
seconds to make the decision. The father knew that
his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his
son's friend was not. The agony of his decision
could not be matched by the torrent of waves.
As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he
threw the line to his son's friend. By the time he
pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his
son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into
the black of night. His body was never recovered."
By this time, the two teenagers were sitting
straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words
to come out of the old man's mouth. "The father," he
continued, "knew his son would step into eternity
with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his
son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus.
Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the
love of God that He should do the same for us."
With that, the old man turned and sat back down
in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes
after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side.
"That
was a nice story," politely
stated one of the boys, "but I don't think it was very
realistic for a father to give up his son's life in hopes
that the other boy would become a Christian."
"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied,
glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile
broadened his narrow face, and he once again
looked up at the boys and said,
"It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm standing
here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a
glimpse of what it must have been like for God to
give up His Son for me.................
You see............I was the son's friend."
Take care and God Bless!