Who are You Trying to Save?

This morning as I was reading my Bible study for the day and I read a VERY interesting story.  I felt like I needed to share it as there are so many of us in the world that are always trying to “save” or “rescue” someone in our life.  For years, I have been a “rescuer” and the truth is, the more I tried to help, the more I drowned.  Until I read the story of the “Lifeguard”, I never really understood why.  Here’s the story…

“I know I don’t look like it today, but for three years I was a lifeguard. And every lifeguard knows you can’t save people as long as they are trying to save themselves. If somebody is drowning and flailing around in panic, a lifeguard knows to just stay back for a few seconds and wait until that person gives up. Because if you try to save others while they’re trying to save themselves, they will pull you under, too.

When they finally give up, they relax; you put your arm around them and just swim back to shore. It’s really quite easy.

God wants to save you. Jesus Christ wants to save you from your hurts, your habits, and your hang-ups. He wants to save you for his purpose and by his grace. But you’ve got to quit trying to do it yourself. You’ve got to relax. You need to let go and let God be God.” – Pastor Rick

For some of you that are reading this, my references to God may make you feel uncomfortable, that’s ok.  Several years ago I felt the exact same way.  The odd part was that I believed in Jesus Christ and in God, I just didn’t know how to have a relationship with them.  When someone would openly speak about them it made me squirm and even turn away.  Yet when I had an awful stomach ache I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them for help! Then one day I was posting inspirational quotes on my profile page when a dear friend started to return those quotes with similar verses and scriptures from the Bible.  After a while it was pretty obvious that much of the wisdom I was sharing originated from the Bible.  Little by little I started to read more about Jesus.  First starting with a christian story called “Wild at Heart” by John Eldridge then moving to my first daily devotional called “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young.  I’ll be honest, much of what I read, I didn’t understand.  Luckily, my friend Brandi was there to answer all my questions.  She let me challenge her when I didn’t believe and in the process she never judged.  When my faith would waiver, hers stood strong.  Watching Brandi as she “lived” a life of faith (not just talked about it) is the main reason that I feel compelled to share my faith with you.  Unlike Brandi I do struggle with “letting go and giving it up to God” but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t.  If you are struggling with your relationship with God, know that you are not alone and please understand that there are many people and resources that you can turn to get you started on your journey at the pace you can handle.  If you’re not sure where to start, contact me, I’d be glad to help.  Thank you for everything Brandi.

Have a great day!