A Link In A Chain

          On March 10, 2013, twelve-year-old Josh McQuoid was playing with a friend in the surf along a beach in Napier, New Zealand.  All of a sudden, a wave knocked him off his feet and the undertow started to pull him away from the beach.  The lad struggled to regain his footing in the midst of the pounding surf.  A nearby police officer, Paul Bailey, was the first into the water to try and rescue McQuoid, but was having a difficult time himself.  He began to fear that he would become a victim as well.  Thankfully, another police officer instructed others on the beach to form a human chain from the shoreline into the water to rescue both McQuoid and Bailey.  A bystander took a video of the effort, showing more than a dozen people holding hands from the beach into the crashing waves to bring the two to safety.  With some feet firmly planted on the beach, those in the water were able to keep their balance as the water crashed around them.  McQuoid was unresponsive when brought in out of the water but was revived before he was taken to a local hospital (“Human Chain Saves Boy, 12, From Drowning,” Anthony Castellano, ABC News Blogs).
          This nearly tragic story highlights the power of community.  A group of people working together is nearly always more effective than someone working alone.  Perhaps that is at least one reason why God calls His people into a community.  Spiritually speaking, when we link our hands and hearts together into a “human chain,” we become a force greater than the sum of the individual parts.  Spiritual rescue is best accomplished as a team effort.  Even the apostle Paul, a great rescuer in his own right, acknowledged that he was just one link in the chain (1 Corinthians 3:5-10).
          Some are better suited to be anchor points on the beach.  Others are good at braving the surf.  But when we hold onto each other, we can reach into Satan’s stronghold and help God save a life.

God loves you!
Mike