God treats everyone equally! And everyone has only one life to live. When you are in a safe situation, you do not realize that life is precious. But when your life, or the life of someone you love, is in danger, you discover how wonderful life is. And if you or a loved one returns from the brink of death, you would thank God a lot, and you would also feel more respectful for life.

It happened in the spring about twenty years ago when I was just six years old. In southern China, springtime is very beautiful, and the weather is wonderful. Birds freely fly in the blue sky, and fish swim in the crystal-clear river. The trees and grass are green and the air smells fresh. The women wash clothes in the stream and children play games along the riverbanks. The voices of the adults and children all mix together to make a wonderful sound.

On that day, I went to catch birds on the hill behind our village with my three uncles. We looked around for birds in the woods, but only saw them flying in the sky. Although we didn’t catch any, we still felt very happy because we saw lots of beautiful scenery. Suddenly, we heard people shouting from our village below. At first, we could not hear clearly what they were shouting about, but we were sure that something bad must have happened, so we decided to run quickly to find out what had happened. As we got closer, we could hear them shouting that a child had fallen into the well, and so we ran as fast as we could to try and help.   

When we came to the well which was in front of my grandfather’s house, we realized that the child was none other than my little sister. The well was deep, and the water in the well was almost to the top. As soon as we arrived, one of my uncles reached down into the water and grabbed ahold of my sister’s clothes and pulled her out before she could sink further into the well. 

Just when my uncle laid her on the ground, my mother came running in from the fields. Upon seeing my sister’s situation, she began to cry as if her heart would break. My mother pushed up and down on her chest and breathed into her mouth trying to start her breathing again. But these first aid methods did not work. When the country doctor reached the well and examined the condition of my sister, he said that she had no hope of waking up. All the people who had gathered around the well whispered to each other that my mother should give up because she was already dead. But my mother did not give up. Just when our situation seemed hopeless, something magical happened. My sister spit out a mouthful of water and took a deep breath. Soon, my sister woke up completely and my mother held her in her arms and cried.

We later found out that my sister had been playing alone near the well and had fallen in. But just at that moment, an older woman in our village had just finished washing her clothes and was on her way home, and as she passed by the well, she heard splashing. Because she did not have good eyesight, she thought that someone had thrown something into the well and she did not notice that it was a child. My great-grandmother, who always sat in front of my grandfather’s house, also heard the shouting coming from the woman, and then she began to shout in a loud voice that it may be their great-granddaughter who had been playing near the well. Afterward, my great-grandmother felt so guilty because she did not take better care of my sister.

As I think back on that day, I realize that so many things had to happen at just the right time for my sister to be rescued. If the lady from the village had not walked by the well and heard splashing; if we had continued chasing birds we may not have heard the shouting from the village; if we didn’t run as fast as we could to reach the well; or if my mother had given up rescue measures when she heard people whispering that it was hopeless, my sister would have been gone forever.   

Through this incident, I learned to appreciate the value of life. Even if we have setbacks in our lives, we should fight hard until the end, and never give up easily. I thank God for giving my sister back to my family. And now our family members love each other very much. We should all be thankful for the blessings given to us by God.

Additional Comments – Coming to realize the value of life is a wonderful lesson to learn, a lesson that we all need to learn. Jesus always affirmed the value of every human being, ranging from the outcast to the respected and from the leper to the priest. He also affirmed the importance of living this life to the fullest, and to glorify the Father in the process. And, I love the fact that in his story, my former student gave credit to God for the miraculous rescue of his little sister.

The Bible also talks about being rescued. Every human being is seen as living in one of two “kingdoms,” either the “kingdom of darkness” or the “kingdom of light.” The “kingdom of darkness” is characterized by uncertainty, doubt, and fear, while the “kingdom of light” is characterized by truth, confidence, and courage. Jesus spoke plainly to the crowds, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). The Apostle Paul makes it clear that Jesus, and only Jesus, is able to “…rescue us from the dominion of darkness and transfer us into the kingdom of His Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14). It’s the greatest “rescue” of all time, and it lasts for eternity.

Furthermore, my student realized that his little sister was “helpless” to save herself. In this case, many people were involved in her rescue. Because of sin, the Apostle Paul knew that there was only one person who could rescue us from our hopeless and helpless condition, and that was Jesus. He said, “While we were still helpless (or powerless), at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). The Bible continually affirms the fact that we cannot save ourselves through good works or religious rituals, but only through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us for the forgiveness of sins. And this occurred, as Paul says, at just “the right time.”   

And this is what my student also recognized. It was at just “the right time” that his little sister was miraculously rescued. Timing has played an important role in many of God’s miracles. As the Israelites were backed up against the sea with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit, God caused a “strong east wind to blow all night” and the waters were parted. And, as the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, as soon as the priests stepped into the Jordan River, God caused a landslide upstream at a town called Adam and the waters were dammed up until the Israelites crossed. Many of the “miraculous” events that we pass off as “coincidence” undoubtedly have the imprint of God’s hand written all over them.

Maybe this is “the right time” for you to be “rescued.” Like the uncle who pulled the little girl from the well, so God can pull you out of the darkness and put you into the light of Jesus. It’s the greatest “rescue” you will ever experience, and it comes from just a simple “ASK.” So why not go ahead and ask?