One of my all-time favorite movies, The Guardian, may be a film that few people have ever viewed, and to be completely honest, I’m not sure I have any recollection of it actually being in theaters in 2006; however, it is a movie that I treasure and have watched repeatedly over the years for multiple reasons, including some amazing quotes. Because it is not a well-known blockbuster, I was surprised one day when in the office, I uttered a quote from Kevin Costner’s character, Ben Randall, on the swimming protégé, Jake Fisher, “Oh, he’s fast, he’s good,” and my colleague recognized the movie! For those who have never seen it, the movie is a narrative of a legendary figure in the United States Coast Guard’s Aviation Survival Technician program who mentors a young swimmer, but the significance for today’s posting is in the song Bryan Adams wrote for the movie entitled Never Let Go.

The lyrics to the song resonate with me because I imagine they must portray the mindset of many a first responder or someone serving in the United States Armed Forces at some point in their career. But the reason I mention this phrase in today’s blog post is because over the past two days, the phrase Never Let Go, or at least some variation of it, has appeared in my reading or on my music playlist numerous times whether from a secular standpoint such as the movie or from a Christ follower’s perspective in Know Your Why. Let’s see if you follow a pattern or is it just a figment of my imagination: (1) Bryan Adam’s theme song to The Guardian, (2) Matt Redmon’s song entitled You Never Let Go, (3) Ryan Stevenson’s song No Matter What, (4) Aaron Rice’s lyrics to What I Know, and (5) Ken Costa’s perspective on the biblical story of Peter walking on water in Know Your Why? Perhaps what is occurring is the engagement of my reticular/Divine Activating System.

Whether or not God had a divine intention when allowing the words Never Let Go to come to my attention, the end result is the same-the receiving of the personal message that God will never let me go, no matter what! Regardless of my circumstances, He is always with me, he has a firm grasp on my hand and my life, just as Jesus demonstrates with Peter on the Sea of Galilee. In Know Your Why, Costa describes a favorite painting of his which “shows Peter getting out of the storm-battered boat with one hand still tentatively holding on to the side…With his other hand he reaches out to Jesus, as a child holding to the side of a swimming pool might reach out to her mother…The act of faith was not, as my picture depicts, Peter getting out of the boat but Peter responding to the voice of Jesus without guarantee.”

Costa continues, “We are not guaranteed that our steps of faith will succeed. If faith were knowledge, it would not be faith, and there would be no need to trust. Trust is the way Jesus tests our relationship with him. And though Peter’s trust diminished, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ And in response, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” This imagery is what flows into my mind when I consider the lyrics to Never Let Go– a strong hand reaching out, determined to not let a life be lost under the waves. “Without Jesus, failure is a sink-or-swim situation. With Jesus, it’s not sink or swim-it’s saved. His hand reached out to Peter to save him,” just as a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer would reach out and pull a victim to safety.

No arguments will arise from my lips to anyone who uses the descriptor stubborn in their efforts to characterize me, and my refusal to trust that God will Never Let Go is just one of the many areas of improvement needed in my spiritual journey; however, I am reassured that this is not a unique struggle, otherwise there would be fewer song lyrics outlining this theme. Whether it’s a rescue swimmer, like the character Ben Randall, offering words of consolation to a man in a cave: “You don’t swim so good?” “No sir”. “It’s okay, I swim pretty good,” or reassuring song lyrics from talented musicians, or the comforting words from Scripture, Jesus longs for me to know that no matter what, He will Never Let Go, he’s a pretty good swimmer!

Please feel free to share any thoughts or comments on this perspective in the area below.

References:

Costa, K. (2016). Know your why: Finding and fulfilling your calling in life. W Publishing.