There are not enough words to soothe an aching heart from the loss of a loved one. There is a void left that can never be filled by anyone else, or anything else. The ones that have left us were unique, by the design of God, intentionally! There isn't another one of them while they live, and there won't be another like them after they depart. So there is no way around the pain when someone that we love dies. My friend Sivad was a special man! He chose to be a guardian for the lives of others.. He came from a father who had done the same in service to the Detroit Fire Department. They really were servants to those who were on the wrong side of a fire, and/or the many other things that pose a threat to human life. He had a 26 year history of responding to every call where that was the case. The last task that he did in his life was saving the lives of others. So I sat for a moment to ponder that morning, and the "what if's" started to come front and center. God has a way of working EVERYTHING out for the good, so I waited while the Holy Spirit revealed...
What if these girls would be part of what would help heal race relations one day? Weather they were black or white wouldn't matter. You couldn't tell them how horrible black men are without some rebuttal. I believe they would be quick to say, a black man jumped in the Detroit river to save my life, and God through him is why I'm standing here today! When all was said and done they couldn't find him. Meanwhile, HIS daughter stood on the banks of the river with his cell phone and his keys, neither of which he would ever use again, to call 911 and report him missing. Imagine the story that she will tell her children one day about the selflessness of her father. Imagine how captivating a story it will be if she lives to tell it? E.F. Hutton couldn't command the attention that she will. What if the Detroit Fire Department chooses someone of whom the new recruits should pattern themselves after, in relation to the job? I have to believe that an off duty fire fighter, who knew the dangers of jumping in a river to save more than one person drowning, would have to rank somewhere near the top of the list!
No he wasn't Jesus, but he was a man that gave himself to save others, that's pretty good! You can bet your last money that those girls think so! His daughter came there with him and didn't get to go home with him, but I'll bet you she's pretty proud too in some ways. There are some lessons in God's repertoire that she will learn and teach during her lifetime. Finally, you'll know a tree by the fruit it bears. Twenty six years worth of folks are the fruit of his labor, along with the rescued children from last Friday night. It's pretty good when the fruit that you bear is LIFE! Thank you Sergeant Sivad Johnson! The other troops have the watch from here....
Dallas Walker III