“Deliver me from the mire…”

Are you like me? I love rescue stories. Remember the Beatles song with these words:

“Help me if you can, I’m feelin’ down,

And I do appreciate your bein’ round.

Help me get my feet back on the ground.

Won’t you please, please help me.”

–John Winston Lennon

Regardless of what you think of Yoko Ono, turns out in the end she rescued John from self-destruction. Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m hopelessly locked in a musical time warp, an unabashed fan of the Beatles. Still living in the ‘60s, as far as music goes. John Lennon was crying out for help during a troubled period in his life. Who of us hasn’t?

Early in my fiction writing career, a mentor was helping me to flesh out my brand. “What kind of movies do you like?” he asked.

Well, that was easy. Tales of heroes and heroines who march headlong into danger at great personal risk for the sake of someone else, seemingly with no fear.

Like Samwise Gamgee, the faithful friend, and Frodo Baggins, the ring-bearer, in the Lord of the Rings. Dorothy Gale of Kansas. The soldiers who save Private Ryan. And Aslan, The Great Lion, from the C.S. Lewis classic, Chronicles of Narnia, to name a few.

“And what kind of books?” he followed up.

More of the same. The Book of Lost Names, The Nightingale, The Alice Network, and Beneath the Scarlett Sky.

Turned out I have a passion for reading and watching great rescue movies. Tales about transformation. Hope. Love. Self-discovery. And the dilemma as old as time—good versus evil. They draw me in because they’re about the universal human experience. Our experience. I’ve sought to write similar stories ever since. And I’ve tried to capture the common thread that defines characters who rise against all odds to perform amazing feats.

People of strong moral fiber. Everyday helpers who display values like courage, sacrifice, and honor. Some of our family members, neighbors, and friends fit this description, don’t they? I want to be such a man. A daily prayer for me…please rescue me so I might have the strength to help others in need.

Tom Brokaw found this link in his book The Greatest Generation. It’s about the men and women—from military heroes to community leaders to ordinary citizens—who served their nation with valor during WW2 and then came home to galvanize it. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg captured it beautifully in their 10-part TV series, Band of Brothers. And we saw it in the aftermath of 9-11.

Where is it now? As a society, many of us have forgotten how to love one another, no matter our political or religious viewpoints. The greatest experiment ever conducted needs help and could end up on the trash heap of history if we don’t find common ground as proud Americans. Ready together to make our nation even greater.

Like John Lennon sang:

Help! I [we] need somebody…not just anybody 🎼🎵🎶

Maybe we all do. The good news? No matter where we’re at today, there’s time left for a good rescue. Our lives are awe-inspiring stories still being told. A friend once counseled me, “God is singing a song over you.” It took a while, but I believe it now. The best is truly yet to come.

Naive sentiments? Maybe. But even the psalmist wrote thousands of years ago:

“Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink; may I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.” – Psalm 69:14

Turns out we’ve been crying for help all along.