The Guardian

Who knew we should have brought popcorn to CSB tonight, and face some tense life questions, like:

• What would you be willing to do to save the life of another person? 
• What motivates you?
• Why is teamwork important?

These were just some of the questions we came away with after watching parts of the movie "The Guardian". The movie is pretty tense at times since the main character, Ben, is a veteran rescue swimmer with the U.S. Coast Guard.

It is 'just a movie', but it does a good job of showing the extremes that people are willing to take at times to try to rescue and help those who need it. After Ben's survives an accident where he is the only survivor on his rescue team, he becomes a trainer for new recruits who are trying to become the best of the best in the Coast Guard, the rescue swimmers.

So what does it take to become a member of this elite group? We see the training and preparation they go through to deal with the extreme conditions they will face. But we also see that working as a team and being able to trust each other is critical in order to succeed and survive. Probably a good life lesson for a lot of what we all face at times.

"You can't always be the one in the water... I need you to train the next generation"

This wasn't the main focus, but it was an interesting line in the movie, when Ben was asked to step back from doing the life-saving work himself, and pass on some of his experience and knowledge to others. Really, this is what our CSB unit has always been about, helping train the next generation of leaders to make a difference wherever God calls them.  It is the same idea as 2 Timothy 2:2

"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."