Randy Alcorn tells the story of Florence Chadwick, the famed 20th century ocean swimmer, in his book Heaven. At the age of 10, Chadwick became the youngest person to swim across the mouth of the San Diego Bay. Later, she became the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions and set a record for the England-France leg of the swim.
In 1952, Chadwick attempted to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coastline. Fifteen hours into the swim, a thick fog settled over the coast. Chadwick could no longer see the boats that were traveling near her to provide safety and assistance, much less the shoreline to which she was swimming. Her mother called from a nearby boat, reassuring her as she swam under such difficult conditions. But after another hour of swimming, Chadwick asked to be pulled out of the ocean.
Once she was safe in the boat, Chadwick looked toward the coastline and discovered that the shore was less than a half mile away. Physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped just before she would have arrived. The finish line was just in sight, but the fog had blinded Florence Chadwick to that reality.
Life has a way of creating fog in the Christian life and blinding us to heaven’s shoreline. Troubled circumstances, exhausting responsibilities, disappointing relational stress, and unfulfilled hopes and dreams — all these issues will lead us to the point of wanting to throw in the towel. We will start to believe that we are unable to finish the race that Christ has called us to. We will begin to wonder whether we should have even started the race. Maybe you’ve been there before. Maybe you’re there right now.
But I want to remind you, dear brothers and sisters, that while heaven’s shore may be shrouded in fog, it is not that far away. We can’t throw in the towel now; we must keep advancing. The glory of God and the kingdom of heaven are at stake. Let us give every effort during our leg of the race to advance the gospel of Jesus through our cooperative work as South Carolina Baptists.
At the 2022 South Carolina Baptist Convention’s annual meeting at Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Irmo, I first heard Dr. Albert Allen pitch the theme for the 2023 annual meeting: “Let’s Go!” My immediate thought was, “How long? How much longer will we have to keep going?” And then I thought of those first disciples who heard Jesus call to them on the banks of the Galilee, “Come follow me.” I wondered how long they thought they would have to follow Him. How far would they have to go to fulfill His Great Commission? How much would they have to sacrifice in order to see the kingdom advance? How many would they have to tell about the good news that Jesus has come?
Here we are nearly two thousand years later with the same call to follow and the same commission to go and make disciples. How long will we have to follow; how far will we have to go; how much will we have to sacrifice; how many will we have to tell? The answer is very simply, “Till all have heard.”
Over the next 12 months, I want to remind you in my role as president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention that too much is at stake for us to lessen our commitment, reduce our effort, or cut back on our prayers. Too much is at stake for us to be divided or distracted by secondary matters. We must keep going, keep telling, and keep praying till all have heard. Heaven’s shore is about a half mile away. Join me in staying the course and giving every effort to kingdom advance till all have heard.