Lifeguards and Life Guards

We learn that there are lifeguards and there are life guards. The former monitor our swimming for safety and rescue us from harm. They can be indentified by uniforms—usually bright red or orange swimsuits. When they hear our exclamations of panic—“Help, help” and “Save me, I’m drowning!”—we know them by their swift response.

Life guards, on the other hand, guide and keep our feet in the paths defined by our limits. They can be identified by a uniform convention—the practice of identifying ourselves and each other in certain limited ways… We inevitable [are asked], “What do you do?” The answer to that question of vocation is my “life guard.” It helps keep my life on track.
—San Portaro, Crossing the Jordan, 34-35

I’m Jackson’s dad, Katy’s husband, Jeanne and Dan’s son, and the pastor of First Christian Church. Each of these descriptions is a “life guard.” It sets certain safe limits around who I am and what I do. It keeps my life on track. You, too, have your “life guards,” those relationships and activities that give you a place in the community, that set you apart uniquely from the rest of the world, that create a safe space in which to live.

We know very little about the “life guards” of Jesus. We treat him instead as a Lifeguard, calling on him to rescue us in trouble. But we don’t know what he did for a living. We know little about his relationship with his mother, father, sisters or brothers. Some speculate marriage, perhaps kids—important things to know! Except we don’t. And it makes it harder to “know” Jesus. We don’t know what boundaries of activity and relationship defined most of his life.

We do know that he was relatively old when, for whatever reason, he felt the need to turn his life around. John baptized Jesus in a ritual that marked a changed direction. From then on, Jesus knew his calling. He discovered new relationships. He made a radical new commitment to others and to God. From this point on, we can trace his tracks.

Have you discovered your calling? If so, your “life guards” are different than they used to be. Your vocation is set, your commitment firm, your new direction clear. Your Lifeguard, however, is the same. Go ahead and swim into deeper water in confidence that you are not alone. Help will come when needed.

Along the way, I wish you God’s peace on today’s stage of your Lenten spiritual journey. May Christ’s companionship bless you with confidence for the day, comfort you in trouble, and put a spring of joy in your step.