Before he reached the other side of the pond, a scream broke the night silence. "Halt immediately!" yelled the guard coming out the window Dirk had climbed through only moments ago. Dirk was too close to freedom. He kept going.
The guard yelled again as he set foot on the ice. Quickly he began to chase after Dirk, but on his third step there was a crack. A splash followed as the guard fell through the ice. His screams changed to shrieks of cold and terror. "Help me, please! Help me!" Dirk paused, looking toward freedom. Then he turned and quickly made his way back to the prison pond. He laid on his stomach and stretched his arms to rescue the nearly frozen guard. In sarcastic gratitude, the guard grabbed Dirk and ordered him back to his cell. Despite his heroism, Dirk was burned at the stake for his faith.
Committed Christians don't live according to common sense. They do the unthinkable with full knowledge of the consequences. They do the impossible as if it were commonplace. Believers live according to a higher calling. Their actions and reactions are so unnatural that they are often misunderstood. For some, Dirk's extreme rescue seems an unnatural choice. Even, perhaps, a bit foolish. Dirk, however, believed he was simply following the basics of the Bible. He put another's needs above his own.
When we make sacrifices, we may not always make sense to the world, but we know we are making progress from a heavenly perspective. Do you most often live according to common sense? Or are you committed to following God's commands at any cost?
