What is agape love from God all about?  This story will shed light on it.  The men went out on the rowboat that evening to do some fishing.  Mr. Hansen, Jeff, his son and his friend Billy, set off in the rowboat and had begun to talk about the past week of the graduation ceremonies.  Jeff was excited about going to seminary down in Texas and follow in the ministry in the footsteps of his hero, his father.  His father was always was there for him, providing, protecting, always loving him.  Mr. Hansen shared the good news with his son at the age of four years old and little Jeff had lived faithfully for God ever since.  His dad had taught him to be a man, to be responsible with character and integrity; he walked across the stage last week a virgin, pure and holy before the LORD to accept his certificate with honors.

On the other hand, Billy was raised by a single mother. His father abandoned them both while he was just a toddler.  Billy's mother worked all day and night to pay the rent and mounting bills, leaving him to be raised by different baby sitters where he was abused frequently.  His grades suffered and he was an average student on a "good" day. He was full of anger, foul language and had a bad reputation with the ladies.  He knew nothing of the church, for his mother had never shared the gospel nor God's love.  Jeff had tried several times to share Christ since they had met as sophomores on the basketball team, but Billy would have nothing to do with God always saying, "What kind of love does your God have? He lets an innocent child go through the type of life I've led--Abused, neglected, stricken with grief, abandoned and then he has the audacity to say that he loves me?  No thank-you to that type of love."

Mr. Hansen had felt led of the LORD to bring the boys out on Lake Erie for a fishing trip since they both loved it.  It was a sunny morning that day and they had found the conversation switching from graduation to the deeper issues of life, as they rowed and drifted miles away from land.  As Mr. Hansen sat back and listened to the boys discussion, he noticed the sky turning dark with storm clouds. Fear swept over the occupants of the little rowboat, as lightning and big waves began to tussle back and forth. A big wave almost capsized the little boat and both Mr. Hansen's son and Billy were thrown overboard. He scrambled to look for the life jackets under the tarp, but only found one life preserver instead. The boys were quickly drifting away from the boat and apart from one another as the winds picked up in velocity by the second. Mr. Hansen had to make a quick decision, which to save. Both young men hollered for the life preserver. Mr Hansen thew it out....shocked, Billy grabbed the ring, as Mr. Hansen reeled him in. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his own son's gaze way off in the distance. With no hope or chance of reaching him by now, Mr. Hansen's tears were streaming down his face, mixed with the pounding of rain water. He forced out words that broke him to his very core and yelled, "I love you, son--I'll...see you soon, son, ....I'll see you... soon." He saw terrible fear in his son's eyes, but then, with an unearthly brilliance, saw a bright and strange flash of lightning or so he thought; he all of a sudden noticed a peace that graced his son's face and a love expressed in his eyes from another world. Jeff waived his hand in the air, as if accepting the situation for what it was, bidding farewell. He floated there for a few moments as if someone or something were holding him up. As quickly as it had happened, he vanished under the tumultuous waters. Billy stared at the space in the sea that had once occupied his friend and then back at Mr. Hansen's sobbing convultions. What had just happened? Why would he save me over his own son, Billy thought.  He was unable to grasp the meaning of the situation, as he also began to weep uncontrollably.