Our ocean front hotel was lovely and had a beautiful view. You could hear and see the waves when you were on the balcony. One thing that struck me each morning was the duties of this lifeguard that was on our stretch of the beach. I'm really pretty ignorant when it comes to the topic of lifeguarding--I'm not even a great swimmer. I listened to a This American Life podcast episode about how intense it is to become a lifeguard in some cities. I knew they sat in a chair and made sure nobody drowned, got hurt or drifted too far.
One of the first days we were there, It made me laugh, because I watched the lifeguard arrive and I saw him stretching. I thought, really? Stretching before he goes and sits in the chair all day? BUT, I just did not realize HOW MUCH WORK it was to lifeguard! (At least for where we were staying.) Every morning the lifeguard arrived first thing in the morning. I would say between 7-8. He opened this big wooden chest and began to unload around 30 heavy chairs and umbrellas to set up the beach. After he unloaded, he used a tool to dig a hole for the umbrella so that he could stick them in the ground and put up the umbrella. This tool did not really make the work look easier. After that, he lifted and carried the heavy wooden chairs over to each umbrella. At this point, people are starting to arrive. He now has his trusty fanny pack on to start collecting money from the customers who are willing (us being one of them) to pay for the shade and the comfort of the beach chairs. He's also kind of watching the water now, because crazy people like us who have tiny humans, are out there at the crack of dawn letting their kids swim. Now the waves are really picking up and coming in strong. He's really watching now. People start drifting too far...currents and rip tides are coming in strong...he's pacing up and down the beach watching and whistling. I've barely seen him sit and it's almost lunch time. This is the point of the story where I'm upstairs with my girls while they nap and I'm thinking about all of this. This life guarding gig is hard work. So now the girls are up. Evening comes. His time on the beach is done for today. He collects more money. Whistles and yells at a few more people. Now it's time to put away the 30 heavy chairs and umbrellas and put them back in the big wooden chest. He leaves and does this again day after day.
What struck me about this? Why was this meaningful to me? To be honest, I don't even think I knew when I started writing this post. To try and figure this out, I started by thinking of words that described this lifeguard.
hard working, focused, intense, unrelenting
After I thought of those words, the first verse that came to my mind about all of this is:
1 Corinthians 9:26-27
"Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
I've always LOVED this verse because of it's intensity. It's focused... Almost ruthless. Am I focused, intense and unrelenting in my spiritual life? Do I wake up in the morning ready to work hard and continue as the day goes on? I don't want to downplay rest or grace in this post, but I think that even being focused, intense and unrelenting about rest and grace is important too!
I'm not sure why all of this stood out to me, but what I do know is that it is October and I was still thinking about it, so it had some meaning and importance to me and I needed to get it out there. Funny how God uses these strange experiences in our lives to teach us. I'm thankful.
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