This is one of my favorite photos. It won a Pulitzer Prize. It inspires me to this day.
Here’s the story:
An older couple in a boat on the Des Moines River unwisely got too close to a low-head dam. Only the wife was wearing a life jacket. The husband disappeared as they went over the dam. (They recovered his body days later.) The woman was helpless caught in the cycle of the waters, pushed down, down, down, then pop up because of the life jacket, only to be caught and pulled down again. This happened again and again. The forces ripped most of her clothes off. She was completely helpless and could not escape in her own strength.
A construction crew was building a pedestrian bridge close to the dam. This is in downtown Des Moines. People on both banks watched in amazement as one man leapt into the crane while the other chained himself to the end of the steel cable. The crane operator lowered his buddy down close to where the woman would pop up. This picture was taken just before he reached her. He was very strong and held her while the crane operator swung them both up and over to the bank.
I saw this guy interviewed on the local news. “I knew I was safe,” he said. “I was chained in. I just decided I wasn’t coming out of there without her.”
Remember this story when God uses you to reach out to help others, especially those who cannot help themselves and are in extreme danger. The love of Christ is infinitely more powerful than the steel chain that kept this man safe. God is far more skilled than that brave crane operator. Make the decision that you won’t come out of there without her.
