One of the best leaders and models in discipleship was Dawson Trotman, who died after helping to rescue two drowning girls. Says Chuck Swindoll: “When Dawson Trotman passed away, he probably left a legacy of discipleship on this earth that will never be matched except perhaps in the life of Jesus Christ Himself. I’ve become a real student of Dawson Trotman and believe wholeheartedly in the methods of discipleship that he taught and emulated throughout his days."
Trotman died in Schroon Lake, New York. He died in an area that he was expert in — he drowned while swimming. He was an expert swimmer. The last few moments of his life, he lifted one girl out of the water. He went down and got the other girl and lifted her out of the water and then submerged and was not found again until the dragnet found him a few hours later. Time Magazine ran an article on Trotman’s life the next week, and they put a caption beneath his name, and it read, ‘Always Holding Somebody Up.’
In one sentence, that was Trotman’s life — investment in people . . . holding them up.” Discipleship is not having others follow you as much as it is lifting others up to see the Lord and then teaching them so they can follow Him wholeheartedly.