To Be Saved...

What does being saved really means?

That was a part of my Christmas sermon this year and I must say that woke me up, literally... I was halfway asleep during the semon, a confession, untill I heard that question and I guess I woke up... and not literally too actually. Suddenly I understood what is going on.

The pastor who delivered the sermon once took a job as a lifeguard on a beach. Naturally a lifeguard's duty is to save people who are drowing. What really happens however is that a upon seeing a drowning person, a lifeguard does not immediatelly save the person. In the natural state of panic, the drowing person would usually try hard to keep him/herself afloat by exerting actions. At this point, it is dangerous for the lifeguard to even get anywhere near that person. They might end up at the bottom together (talk about misery loves company). What usually happens is that the lifeguard will wait at a distance for the drowning person to calm down and give up trying to save himself. When the drowning person has finally settled down and gave up trying to fight things out by himself, the lifeguard will then gently extend his arm to loop it around the drowning person and together swim back ashore.

To me this is the most powerful message to round up year 2004. You see, as long as we do not give up control over our lives, as long as we fight on with our own strength, we can never be saved. As long as we depend on our limited strength, as long as we cling to our own, well come on now, very very weak dust made composition, He cannot save us. We have to let go and let God. Once we give everything up to Him, put our very own lives on His feet, we will swim ashore and afloat. He did not promise us that we will not encounter any drowning experience, but He promised to save us, if we let go and let God...

Thus so this new year, 2005, it will be a little different for me. While I usually plan for the next year, this time I am not planning on anything because I know well that He is in control and He has His assignments for me. Visions and Missions do not change, but assignment changes and it comes daily. Enough is today's trouble, tomorrow has its own troubles.

Salvation is my Vision, Emotion is my Mission. This January 1, 2005, I offer every part of my life as a living sacrifice, an Angel on Assignment.