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          A Hard Choice To Make

 

            

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the  church's pastor once again slowly stood up, walked 

over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief introduction 

of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly man 

stepped up to the pulpit to speak

 

 

            

"A father, his son, and a friend of his son were 

sailing off the Pacific Coast," he began, "when 

 a fast approaching storm blocked any effort to get 

back to shore. The waves were so high, that even 

though the father was an experienced sailor, he 

could not keep the boat upright, and the three 

were swept into the ocean."

       

 

           

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye 

contact with two teenagers who were, for the first 

time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. He continued, "Grabbing a 

rescue line, the father had to make the most excru-

ciating decision of his life . . . to which boy would he 

throw the other end of the line.

 

          

He only had seconds to make the decision.  The 

father knew that his son was a Christian and that 

his son's friend was not.   The agony of his decision 

could not be  matched by the torrent of waves.      

 

         As the father yelled out, "I love you,  son!", he threw the line to his son's friend. By the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into the black of the night. His body was never recovered.

 

        By this time, the two teenagers were sitting  straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words to come out of the old man's mouth. "The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son.

 

       

How great is the love of God that He should do the same 

for us." With that, the old man turned and sat back down 

in his chair as silence filled the room.

 

      

Within minutes after the service ended, the two teen-agers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story," 

politely stated one of the boys, "but I don't think it was 

very realistic for a father to give up his son's life in 

hopes that the other boy would become a Christian."

 

       "Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it?

 

      But I'm standing here today to tell you, THAT story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me.

 You see . . . .

                      . . . . . . . . . I WAS THE SON'S FRIEND!"

 

                                                                                        Unknown Author

 

                   Writings