The bright sunshine and blue sky seemed to be
in sharp contrast to the sub zero wind chills nipping at our faces and the
sound of snow crunching beneath our feet. But my friends and I were on a
mission and we refused to let the cold weather deter us from accomplishing our
goal.
During my high school years, one of my
favorite activities on a cold sunny day was to bundle up and walk the icebergs
of Lake Michigan. My friends and I would meet at our usual spot and begin the
hike out to the big lake. I remember the excitement of climbing to the top of
the sand dunes and catching my first glimpse of these magnificent ice
structures.
One particular March, the icebergs had built
up far out into the lake. I remember our hike taking longer than normal as we
trudged through the knee-deep snow but when we finally arrived at the
shoreline, the view was spectacular. The sunshine danced across the icy terrain
and created an illusion of ice-mountains moving across the horizon. We could
not resist walking out to the end of the pier to take a closer look. My friends
stayed toward the center of the pier but I occasionally walked to the edge to
investigate these massive moving mountains of ice. We each created our own path
over the jagged, ice-covered cement and eventually met at the end of the pier.
The panoramic view was breathtaking.
The combination of bright sunshine, blue sky
and shimmering ice was mesmerizing. We all stood quietly enjoying the wintery
landscape, and then I noticed an amazing piece of icy artwork at the edge of
the pier. I moved closer to examine it; a decision I immediately regretted. I
began slipping helplessly on the ice and disappeared into the frigid waters of
Lake Michigan.
The shock of the cold water was paralyzing,
and at first I could not comprehend what was happening. I felt the weight of my
winter clothing pulling me downward and quickly realized these might be the last
moments of my life. I began fighting with all my might to make it back to the
surface of the water. Finally, I felt the sting of a biting wind against my
face. I frantically gasped for air and tried to find something, anything to
grab on to. I saw the outlines of my friends reaching out to me but the ice and
frigid waters prevented our hands from connecting.
I sank back down into the icy waters and
darkness closed in around me. My entire 17 years of life began to flash before
my eyes; a fast rewind of clear and vivid memories, one after another as I sank
deeper into the water…then everything stopped. I felt indescribable peace, a
peace that surrounded me, calmed me and took away all my fear. My body became
weightless and I could see myself floating in the water. The coldness of the
water disappeared and time seemed to stand still.
I could see a powerful force of energy
beneath me, a powerful yet comforting presence holding me, lifting me up. I
wondered how I could feel such amazing love and perfect peace in the darkness
of the water. I did not want to leave this feeling—it was so beautiful.
Suddenly I was being pushed upward by the force.
I could sense light penetrating through the water and voices desperately
calling my name. Once again I broke the surface of the water and began gasping
for air. I blindly reached out for help;
then a hand connected with mine. A voice kept saying hang on tightly as my
friends created a human chain and worked together to pull me back up onto the
pier.
It took several days to process what had
happened. I tried to express my gratitude to friends who risked their own lives
to save mine. I’m pretty sure I was able to do that. But as I tried to find
words to explain the complete peace I experienced in the depths of the icy
waters, or how I returned to the surface of the water a second time, I am
simply unable. This I do know, however. I know the indescribable peace I
experienced was Jesus. I asked Jesus into my life as a young girl. Since then,
I have studied His Word and tried to live a life pleasing to Him. But until
that cold day in March I didn't understand the depths of His love and His promise
to always be with me.
We each have a story of how God has shown us
his love. Many of us have experienced His peace in our darkest moments and have
been lifted up by His amazing grace. It brings to mind Paul’s letter to the
Romans where he states in the 8th chapter, For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:38-39
How is God calling you to share your story so
others can experience the unconditional, unending love of Jesus?
