The Buddy System
I was in the Navy for 6 years serving my country by working underwater as a Deep Sea Diver. The work was serious but fun and exciting. It was an elite group of men that were entrusted with the maintenance and security of part of the Pacific Fleet in San Diego. But, I can tell you that the testing that came prior to being assigned to do the actual work of a diver came with great intensity and it would have been very difficult had I not had a buddy by my side the whole way through my schooling!
You see, at the beginning of our diving class we were told how dangerous the work was and that we should always use the buddy-system to ensure our safety; one more set of eyes is of priceless value because it saves lives!
While going through school we were tested in our underwater trouble shooting and problem solving skills, the exercise was called “sharking”. A buddy and I would lock arms and swim in sync and all of a sudden an instructor from above would come down and take our fins off, our masks, take the air out of our mouths and shut one set of tanks off; they would even try to unstrap our tanks and attempt to take them. Through this whole time, my buddy and I were supposed to remain calm, look at each other, assess the damage, not allow the instructor to take the tanks (our lives depended on the air), and then we had one minute to put it all back together!
If we only had one workable set of tanks, then our priority was to “buddy breath” (take two breaths and give the air piece to the other diver) while re-establishing the other’s air, and then helping each other put our gear back on and making sure it was on right. Let me remind you that the whole time either our arms or legs were locked together because the instructor could come back down at any time and we did not want to be caught off guard!
Brothers and sisters, we are also called to use the buddy system for our “adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – 1Peter 5:8 When the storms of life hit do you have someone that will lock arms with you and maintain their composure until the storm is passed, or are you that person that someone else needs? A buddy bears the other’s burdens, helps assess the situation in truth, prioritizes what needs to be taken care of and helps put it all together!
As Christians we are called to be there for one another, making sure that not one soul is carried off into the sea of sin and destruction! I pray today that you lock arms with someone in this journey, not only with Christ Jesus, for He is the strength that holds you and your brother/sister together, but also with that one person that will remain calm and help through the “sharking”.
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:1, 2
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