The way I see it, SELFLESS acts of bravery and demonstrations of rare courage, in order to help others, ought to receive the highest commendation.
Most of us would have followed with interest, as rescue efforts to free 12 boys and their Football coach, of the Wild Boars Soccer team, from a treacherously flooded cave in Thailand, eventually proved successful.
It is understood that they just went in to explore the cave for an hour, after completing soccer practice.
Apparently when the team was passing through the cave, rising flood waters cut off their exit route. Now this happened almost three weeks ago (June 23rd) and getting them out of the cave proved to be a technical and difficult exercise.
At one point, the sobering statement was made that they either wait until the water recedes in a few months’ time, or LEARN TO DIVE.
Well I newa!
Now, put yourselves in their position for a brief moment: Away from family and friends and the comfort of cozy homes; inside of a cold, dark, dreary cave –flooded with water for almost three weeks!
Hey, that is literally HELL ON EARTH.
Within that time period, all kinds of theories and strategies were pondered upon, as to how to get them out. It involved hundreds of experts, who flew in from all over the world, to lend their expertise to the rescue operations.
Meanwhile, the parents of the boys, maintained a constant daily vigil outside of the cave, praying for their safe return
One brave Doctor, who it is said is an expert swimmer and diver, would have joined the group to assist in looking after their health needs.
Then on Tuesday, navy seal divers, dived into the dark cave and took some nine hours to get out the boys and their coach.
“Divers involved in the rescue, described treacherous conditions, with fast-moving shallow water passing through very narrow passages.
‘This is the hardest mission we’ve ever done. The lower the water is getting, the stronger the current. It’s stronger now. Every step of the extraction is risky,’ said Narongsuk Keasub, a diver for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
He’s one of a group of divers whose job it was to transport air tanks into the tunnels for the SEAL teams. Before the final rescue, he told CNN that divers inside the cave faced a number of challenges.
‘We can only see our hands (at a) short distance. Secondly, the stones are razor sharp which is dangerous for our diving, (and) thirdly the passage is very narrow,” he said.
Keasub said that the thought of their own children kept them going. ‘I’m quite emotional as a father — everybody has this feeling because we feel like it’s our children who are inside the cave.’ “
It was such a perilous operation that one Navy seal lost his life.
“‘We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave,’ the Thai Navy SEALS said in a Facebook post confirming the entire soccer team had been rescued.
Adelaide Anesthetist and underwater cave explorer Richard Harris — known as Harry — is understood to have been the last person to leave the cave, having played a crucial role in the complex mission to save the young boys and their coach.
The 53-year-old gave up a family holiday and made his way to Northern Thailand, where he scuba dived 4km through cold, dark and narrow passages to reach the boys and assessed them as medically fit to attempt the risky escape mission.’”
That same day when he came out of the cave, it was revealed to him that his father had died.
Well I newa!
Well speak of SELFLESS and BRAVE!
Does it remind you of anything?
Well, Jesus Christ left the comfort of heaven to come to this sin cursed earth (CAVE), to save us FROM our sins.
His ordeal was not easy. At one point he said: ‘if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.’
Remember the navy seals said they endured because they thought about their own children?
Jesus endured the cross because he thought of ME—he thought of YOU.
I would hope that each of those boys will go on to live meaningful lives and make a positive contribution to their respective communities and countries.
So too, it augers well for us to take that lease on life given us through Jesus’ sacrifice and live to please him, BY HIS GRACE.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?