And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit…. –– Mark 4:20.
Sometimes, the true “word” comes to us not in a sanctuary but in the sound of a story, told by a friend, on a quiet afternoon. My friend Anne has a way of speaking that’s gentle and unassuming, but the things she says can hit you like a wave.
“He lost his life saving them,” she said, her voice soft as if to cushion the blow. “A whole family. From a rip tide.”
I felt the air go out of the room. My mind immediately went to the chaos of a beach day gone wrong—the frantic flailing, the raw terror. But Anne’s next words painted a scene even more gut-wrenching. “And his own family was there,” she continued, her eyes glistening. “They watched him from the shore.”
The image was unbearable. The pride of watching a loved one be a hero, twisted into the horror of watching him disappear. My throat tightened, and I felt a hot sting behind my eyes. I didn’t know this man, this hero, but in that moment, his family’s grief felt like my own. My chest ached with a profound, helpless sorrow for his parents, his wife, his children—whoever was on that sand, their joy stolen in an instant.
I learned he was a professional baseball player who had left the field to become a police officer. It wasn’t the first time he had put his life on the line. I thought about the thousands of games he must have played, the roar of the crowd, the cheers for his triumphs. All of that faded away, overshadowed by one final, silent act of pure, unhesitating love. He heard the cries for help and, in his heart, he chose to respond.
And that’s it, isn’t it? As Mark 4:20 says, some are “sown on the good soil; they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit.” For this man, the “word” wasn’t a scripture read from a lectern; it was the desperate plea of strangers in the water. He didn’t just hear it; he accepted it. And in that moment, he bore the most beautiful and tragic fruit imaginable. His action was the most powerful sermon I’ve ever heard. It wasn’t just a story; it was the word made flesh, and it shattered my heart while lifting my soul.
Webb, this is beautiful…You touched my heart and my soul. Thank you!