“There she is again,” I thought to myself. That’s funny, what a coincidence! …” or maybe it’s not a coincidence at all,” I finally began to wonder after too many laps.
A few weeks earlier I had started swimming for exercise. Periodically I would notice this ‘coincidence’, but not as regularly as this day. This day it seemed that just about every time I was at the deep end of the pool the lifeguard was walking right by me. “Maybe she’s bored,” I giggled to myself, “Surprisingly, I am the only swimmer in the pool.”
And then the truth hit me – she is a lifeguard and she is doing her job, making sure she is near me if I need help. When other people are in the pool it is easier for me to miss seeing the lifeguard walking around, especially when lessons are being given. Before now I had never considered the proximity of the lifeguard to myself should I need help.
As I kept swimming, that reality settled into me and my thoughts turned to comfort and appreciation for her diligence to guard life, my life. I felt cared about; I felt important; I felt I mattered. She did not know me but she was ready and prepared to save me no matter what, even if it was the result of a stupid choice on my part or if I was someone who “didn’t deserve” to be saved.
For the rest of my swim I couldn’t help but apply this lifeguard’s diligence and attention to how much more God watches over me, provides for me and wants me to live life to the full (John 10:10). Like the lifeguard, God is always there ready to save me regardless of how often I do something stupid or wrong. But God is also always ready to listen and be with me, to sustain me, to forgive me and set me on a better path. Always. I don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, unconditional love or any of my blessings but God lavishes them upon me anyway solely because I am God’s daughter who is so wholly and completely loved. Always.
God is guarding me and my life, but so much deeper and personally than any lifeguard or human ever can. Because God loves me. All the time. No matter what. And God loves you that way too.
-Adele DiNatale-Svetnicka
Thank you, what a great metaphor of God being a lifeguard. I have been a lifeguard for many years of my life and the image of God being my life my lifeguard touches me on a very deep level.
🙏🏽
It is a wonderful metaphor. We probably have never thought much about it but we do take lifeguards for granted. Wouldn’t it be interesting to say thank you to the Lifeguard the next time we visit a local pool.
In like manner we all too often take God for granted to, and do not thank him for all the blessings that he has shown to us.
I love the image of lifeguard to describe God who loves and cares about us all. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I, too, was a lifeguard. Recently I was involved in a serious car accident. (I was it so hard two wheels broke off) I have bruises and a fractured sternum but my car was totaled. People say I had angels watching over me. I say they were riding with me. I made sure my husband took the St. Christopher medal I had in my car for decades when he gathered the stuff I had in my car. Grateful to be alive.
We do not know exactly how God works, but it sure seems likely that the lifeguard is our Guardian Angel. Maybe to put God’s name on the Lifeguard we can give proper credit to the angel spirit that we owe so much thereto Indeed when praying on behalf of another we ask for the name in order to personalize our plea.