I Had My Hat, He Had His…

                This
last year I became certified as a life guard. I have the red shorts, white
sleeveless shirt,  the bright red hat and
a tan to prove it.  I’ve taken a part
time job in North Port, FL. at the Warm Mineral Springs. The place is quaint,
but smells of sulfur and suntan lotion. Rarely have I found anything “lifeguard
worthy” happens, but today I am glad I wore my hat…

                About
50′ away from me in waist deep water stood a woman in a white speckled shirt
and black shorts. I had noticed her previously, but something about the awkward
stare she was now giving me had me slightly confused. She looked nervous, and
nervous in the water is never a good sign.

Standing up and moving to the top step of my lifeguard stand,
I yell out to her, “Ma’am, are you ok?” No response. Assuming she had not heard
me though she continued to keep her eyes on me, I holler out once more. “Ma’am,
is everything ok?” With that, she turns and walks away. I sit back down, quietly
chuckling, thinking, “she must be nuts…”

A minute later I realized just how wrong I was. I had turned
my eyes to scan the water and when I finally made it back to where she was I
saw her. She had sat down on the ramp and was breathing heavily, once again
staring my direction. I stood up immediately, radioed for back-up and pulled
the “Jesus walking on water” move to get to where she sat. As I approached, I
found her hyperventilating and she collapsed in my arms as she was so short of
breath she could no longer hold herself in the sitting position.

Chris, the other lifeguard arrives moments later and we
begin to administer oxygen. After she is calmed, and alert she refuses the
ambulance that has arrived and says, “This is dumb, I just want to swim. I’m
fine”

“Um, ma’am, you are not going back in the water…”

Dry towels for warmth, and a chair to sit in, we let her
recover without any more of a scene.

Back to watching the water, yet still closely watching our
new found friend, an hour passes all seems well. I notice a man in a brown sun
hat with a black label that says “I LOVE JESUS” approach our girl and ask if he
can pray with her. They pray, and as they shake hands he departs her side never
to look back.

I look at her face as he walks away. She is smiling for the
first time since the incident and watches him walk off under the overhang as he
leaves the spring.

I’m glad he wore his hat too.

Again I am blown away by the outreach that people can give.
We are all wearing our own hat that defines who we are. Today I was lifeguard
in the physical realm, while our brown hatted, Jesus loving friend was a
lifeguard of spiritual realm. I, the youth minister, didn’t even think to pray.
I was too busy with my red hat to even think about my Jesus hat.

Which hat are you wearing today?