We all need reminders of the constant protection available when we are
constantly communing with God. This is an email I received through
friends from Lona B. Ingwerson.
If a man were drowning in mid ocean with apparently no human help at
hand, there is a law of God which when rightly appealed to, would
bring about his rescue. Adam H. Dickey God's Law of Adjustment
Undisturbed amid the jarring testimony of the material senses,
Science, still enthroned, is unfolding to mortals the immutable,
harmonious, divine Principle is unfolding Life and the universe, ever
present and eternal. Mary Baker Eddy Science & Health with Key To the
Scriptures If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy
right hand shall hold me. Psalms 139 Our son was asked by friends to
join them for a Sunday lunch at a waterside restaurant in a coastal
town just north of us on the Gulf Coast. He told them that he would
try to make it if his schedule allowed, but there was a possibility
that he would not be able to attend. This is why his friends did not
alert anyone when my son did not arrive for lunch. He did set off for
the restaurant and friends around 12:30 p.m. that Sunday, using the
family boat. He did not tell anyone of his plans, thinking that he
would be back in a few hours. The only route took him directly out
into the Gulf of Mexico. He traveled about a mile offshore, parallel
to the coast. Halfway between our town and his destination, the gear
shaft exploded, sending a metal rod through the casing and into the
water. The propeller halted and so did the boat. He let down the
anchor, put on his ski vest, and got into the water to check the
propeller. The anchor broke away from the boat and the boat quickly
drifted away from him. With 30 knot offshore winds, and a tide going
out to sea, he was unable to swim fast enough to catch the boat or
swim strongly enough to reach shore. Within minutes he found himself
drifting out to sea. This was approximately 2:00 p.m. Sunday
afternoon. Later that evening, I mentioned to my husband that I had an
uneasy feeling concerning our son. Of course we corrected our thought
with truths about God and man. But, around 2:00 a.m. I was awakened
with an overpowering sense of danger concerning our son. I immediately
drove to his apartment, but found he was not home. I returned to my
home, and my husband and I worked with the lesson until dawn. It
became very clear to me to check the boat which we docked at a local
marina. We found our son's motorcycle at our boat slip, and the boat
was indeed gone. We were told by a marina employee that our son was
seen leaving in the boat the day before about 12:30 p.m. The Coast
Guard was called and the search for my son began. I must admit that
human will took hold at first. My husband and a friend took our small
plane and scoured the coastline. Many friends used their boats to
search. Of course, the Coast Guard was on the job, and soon the Marine
Patrol, and many of the County's Sheriff Deputies and City Police were
on the water. But we had no idea where to look. My son's friends, who
had not heard from him, decided that his schedule did not allow him to
join them for lunch that Sunday. They, of course saw no reason to
alert anyone about my son's absence from their luncheon. By this time
our son had drifted beyond sight of land wearing only swim trunks and
a ski vest that was absorbing a great deal of water. During the first
few hours in the water, he was stung numerous times by man-o-wars that
were too large to push away. As the sun set, he noticed that sharks
were encircling him, braving an occasional side swipe. Just before he
was in total darkness, he told us that he cried out very loudly, God,
help me. Almost immediately, he saw four dolphin swimming around him,
bumping him, making clicking and squeaking sounds. He watched as they
protected him from the sharks. The water was cold and he was fighting
hyperthermia and the effects of the scores of jelly fish stings. As he
began to lose consciousness, the dolphin pushed him and touched him,
making sounds to arouse him. This happened numerous times during the
course of the night. Nothing else in the water came near him that
night. The dolphin that joined him at sunset that night, never left
his side until after sunrise the next day. The true testing time came
that morning. The coast guard called us to inform us that our boat was
found 10 miles out to sea and that our son was not on it. They
expressed concern that a person could survive in the shark infested,
cold waters. They said that they would search for a few hours longer,
but they could not offer hope considering the circumstances. They said
that they had never recovered a person in similar situations. I
immediately called a practitioner, and she went to work right away. I
sent word to my husband to come home. I knew that we needed to turn
completely from this picture and rely radically on God's care for our
son. I struggled at first to even physically sit down and quiet my
thought. Our son was beyond human help, and I had to see that he was
not, nor never had been beyond God's help. I had to see that nothing
in this material world was needed to save him. God already had him
safe and sound. We spent the next hours holding to what Mrs. Eddy says
on page 167 in Science and Health, ?Only through radical reliance on
Truth can scientific healing power be realized.? We had to give up all
sense of our son being separated from God. We were led to keep our
prayerful work simple in face of the material tumult - Yes to God's
love and complete control, No the lie of failure and death. I spoke
with the practitioner every 20 minutes or so. She lovingly and firmly
affirmed our son's innocence and safety, not in the future, but right
NOW. Late in the afternoon we received a call that said our son had
been found, unconscious, but alive, and was being transported to a
nearby hospital. We cried tears of joy as we drove to the hospital.
The doctors met us at the door and informed us that they were doing
everything they could to save his life. If they did save his life,
there would be a long hospital stay. These statements made absolutely
no impact on me what so ever. I knew that with the practitioner's
help…the work was done. The demonstration of man as God's child had
been made. I was taken to my son in the emergency room while my
husband and daughter waited in a family room. The only part of my
son's body not covered with wires and tubes and bandages was his face
which I kissed, though he was not fully coherent. The whole picture
had absolutely no reality for me. At that point, our family knew that
our son would be coming home with us that day. We made no demands, nor
did we speculate as to the recovery time. We just stayed with the
truth of perfect God and perfect man. I was rejoicing beyond words at
what we had witnessed of God's love. I know we all felt that where we
stood was indeed holy ground. In about an hour and a half, the doctor
took my son off monitors and tubes. They removed all of the
applications they had made to save his life. The swelling and
discoloration from the jellyfish stings which had disfigured his whole
body simply disappeared. All of the organs that were at risk due to
the claim of hyperthermia began to function perfectly. All of his
strength returned, and he dressed himself, thanked the hospital staff
for their care and walked out of the hospital on foot. The attending
nurses and doctors were in awe. Most of the nurses were crying, and
even one of the doctors cried as they hugged our son goodbye. The
entire emergency room was hushed as they watched him walk out the
door. The next day, I contacted the couple that had found our son. We
wished to see them in person and thank them. My husband and my son and
I went to their home that night. During that visit, we were told about
that remarkable day. The husband and his wife, together with another
couple were fishing in a pass late that morning. They were catching
quite a few fish, but suddenly the husband felt absolutely compelled
to take the boat far out to sea. His wife and the other couple were
concerned about what seemed to be erratic behavior on his part. They
argued against going into the Gulf, which was rough that day. They saw
no reason, either, for leaving a perfectly good fishing spot. As the
husband was taking them far out to sea, and would not listen to their
protests, they began demanding that he turn back. The wife added that
she felt he might be having some mental problem. He refused to turn
back, and kept telling everyone that he HAD to do this. Suddenly, when
they were almost beyond sight of land, the husband saw our son as a
little dot on the horizon, floating, and unconscious. The others on
the boat did not see him until they pulled much closer. They pulled
him out of the water and hurried back to the marina, calling the
authorities on their radio as they returned. During our visit, the
husband cried often and said his life would never be the same. He said
that he truly heard God's command to save the boy's life. He told me
as best as I can remember, ?I have been tithing all my life. I have
always turned to God all my life. I have spoken to Him all my life.
Yesterday He spoke to me, clearly. It was almost audible. From now on,
I will stop talking and listen.? We learned later that the closest
human aid at the time of the rescue was at least 3 hours away. This
wonderful demonstration of God's protection and care actually was
on-going. We were barraged by the media for about a week after the
rescue. Many TV talk shows called us. HBO wanted to do a story about
it. We were able to quietly decline all offers with no protests. One
person told me that this was a story about faith answered, hope
realized, and that people need to see that miracles still do happen.
Everyone who had a part in the search, from the Coast Guard to the
doctors all used the term miracle. Our son has had no effects from
this experience. He is still an avid boater and swimmer. We are
grateful for this beautiful demonstration of God's love and care, to
Jesus Christ for showing us the way. We are grateful for Mrs. Eddy's
gift to humanity. We are grateful for all practitioners' healing work.
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of
the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
hold me.