Lifebelts

“In the vast, unforgiving waters of the Pacific, Signalman Third Class Elgin Staples clung to life — held afloat by a single rubber life belt as the USS Astoria sank beneath him during the Battle of Savo Island in 1942. For 12 hours, he drifted among the wreckage, one of the few survivors of a night that claimed over 1,000 sailors.

“Back home in Akron, Ohio, his mother Vera Staples worked long shifts at the Firestone plant, inspecting life belts for the war effort. She poured her love and worry into every piece of equipment and every letter she sent to her son. She tracked Elgin’s ship in the papers, praying for his safety.

“When Elgin returned home, he brought with him the life belt that saved him—tattered, faded, but still intact. As he handed it to his mother, he said softly, “This belt kept me alive.” Vera examined it closely… and then gasped. Her hands trembled. Her eyes filled. “My God… that’s my inspection number. I inspected this belt.” In a world torn by war, it was a mother’s hands that unknowingly reached across an ocean to save her son” (borrowed).

This incredible story is a great reminder of how our actions in the present may make a big difference in the life of someone in the future. It’s easy to think that what we are doing in life isn’t very important. It’s the same hum-drum, boring thing every day. But your steady life of faithfulness might just be the lifebelt that someone else will need in desperate circumstances. When the ship of life begins to take on water for a relative or friend, your example of endurance may give them hope.

Please know that your day-to-day efforts of being faithful to God make a difference. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Colossians 3:23-24). No effort at living faithfully is ever wasted.

God loves you!

Mike