My life did not flash before my eyes. I was too concerned about how - or if - I was going to make it back tothe beach. Our family trip that day was not supposed to end with me drowning ina riptide.
It was our first day on the beach with our rented boogie boards, and I was the first one in the water.Wanting to catch the waves where they were breaking, I headed away from theshore. By the time I realized they were breaking too far out, the water was overmy head. On the board from the waist up, I started kicking to get back to thebeach. After a couple of minutes I had not made any progress. In fact, I wasfarther away from the beach and farther down the shoreline. The board wasstrapped to my wrist so I let it trail behind me and began to swim. I swamuntil I was exhausted and swallowing water, but I was even farther from shore.No matter what I did or how hard I worked, I could not save myself.
Seeing I was in trouble, my husband grabbed another board, left the safety of the beach and came to myrescue. My three children watched from shore. I could hear the youngest cryingfor me. When Waynereached me, he calmed me down and talked me through riding out the riptide sowe could get back to the beach. Moments later I was reunited with my family.
Just like me in the riptide, spiritually we are “lost” and can do nothing to save ourselves. Our sin has separated usfrom God. “Sin” is disobeying God, or choosing our own way over God’s way. Sinfirst entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, breaking theirintimate relationship with Him. Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23). This sinbreaks our relationship with God bringing with it the consequence of spiritualdeath (Romans 6:23). This means we are “lost,” separated from God and unable tomend the relationship ourselves. There is a gulf between God and us we cannotcross.
But God loves us and desires to have a relationship with us. He does not want us to perish and spendeternity separated from Him. God responded to our predicament. Since we couldnot save ourselves, God came to our rescue. We celebrate the anniversary ofthis great rescue mission every twenty-fifth of December. Christmas reminds usthat God loves us and sent His Son to save us from our sins. Would you like tolearn more about God’s love for you and His plan for your life?
Find out how to have a relationship with Jesus now.
If you want to find out more about Christianity and how to know God then check out the 12-session Biblestudy “God’s Truth Revealed.” This study takes you on a journey through theBible to show you why you need God and how you can know Him.
This story was excerpted from "God's Truth Revealed" by Kathy Howard
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