On The Father’s Decision – Author Unknown

The church’s pastor stood up and
gave a very brief introduction of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly
man stepped up to the pulpit to speak.

“I want to tell you a story. A father,
his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast,” he
began, “when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to
shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced
sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the
ocean.”

The old man hesitated for a moment,
making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the
service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

He continued, “Grabbing a
rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life
… to which boy he would throw the other end of the line? He only had seconds
to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also
knew that his son’s friend was not. There was agony in his decision. As the
father yelled out, ‘I love you, son!’ he threw the line to his son’s friend. By
the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared
beyond the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never
recovered.”

“The father,” he
continued, “knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could
not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into an eternity without
Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the love of God that He
should do the same thing for us.”

With that, the old man turned and
sat back down in his chair until the Church service ended. The he left.

As he was leaving two men
approached the old man and said politely, “That was a nice story you told
us, but I don’t think it was very realistic.”

The old man glanced down at the
Bible in his hand, then he looked up and said,

“I suppose it isn’t a very
realistic story.” Then slowly walking away he turned and said, “There’s just
one more thing to know:

I was at the other end of that
rope. I was the son’s friend.”