It is pervasive.
We talk about salvation as if it is an event, a diploma, a point in time, something with a frame and boundaries and a rejection of everything else about us. Salvation is not this. Salvation is pervasive.
Same with carrying your cross, going out into the world, and so forth. Salvation and all these life axioms are in the divorce we are suffering, the depression, the trouble with sleep, the courage we demonstrate going into public, the fear we succumb to, the freedom we give up to anxiety – this is all about salvation. This is what going into the world means. It’s not one or the other.
When we say, the world will fall away, it is saying that there are no dividers any more. If you’ve ever heard the term, the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make her a friend, this is the same idea. God who is and who is personal takes away the dividers and makes us Her business.
God who is and who is personal is important for self care because She is all about Me.
Self-care tip: Let the barriers go and accept the presence of Love.
Question: Does God improve your self care? Do you see dividers between your personal stuff and what is, who is, God? How does that serve you, Me?
Keep on people of courage!
Yes, I have always felt being “saved” was not an event or destination either. The indication that we are saved is in living in Christ in our daily routines. That is a form of silent but meaningful testimony by example. If we simply never become the source of anyone’s misfortune and never pass up an opportunity to perform a charitable act, I think we make the mark.
Thank you Carl. You coin the thoughts so easily. I love that about you. Ex: “not an event or destination either.” Yes! Keep on.
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It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything here. It’s been a tough year or so. And, yes, I know. Here is where I should have been. I just haven’t had the energy to think, never mind write. But you got me with this one. I’ve always thought I had a good relationship with God and that my faith was strong. Aside from the fact that physically, and, therefore, emotionally, I have had a really tough time since at least last July, now my granddaughter is dealing with some physical problems that have me absolutely terrified. Panic attacks abound. Sleep is difficult to find…or I sleep too much…depending on the day. And I am really questioning my faith. How to let go and let God. How to stop reminding Him/Her that I need help….that I need reassurance…and all is going to be well…HAS to be well. And it is now, I think…I pray. Xrays are okay. Tests are okay, so far. But it scares me that I can so easily fall apart and lose sight of the God who has been my hope and guide and support all these years. We seem to make it through our own “things”, or sometimes not, but when it comes to those we love, it’s a whole other story. I know this hasn’t been helpful but I needed to share. And I needed to suggest, because it’s helped me recently, a book by Phillip Keller called A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. I’m thinking it’s helping me to “lie down in green pastures”. For what it’s worth….
It’s been even longer for me.
Thank you for sharing.
Here’s a text hug coming to you from one who knows tough times and the intensity of vicarious suffering for your loved ones.
Thanks. Please accept a hug back. Hugs are wonderful; to be understood is even better. God bless you.
Hello Nance! Smiling all over. Great to hear from you. Awesome to get your update, despite the suffering described. Good to know about YOU.
Thank you for the book referral. Don’t smoke the grass. 😉
Keep on.
I always love to read what you write. I just have one little peculiar question? So the freedom I give up to anxiety is salvation?
Smile!
I think, too often I focus on what I perceive the ending to be instead of the journey. Salvation is the entire journey. It is not a beginning or an end. It is the process of becoming. If I take it that way, than even the bad times in my life have meaning. I can honestly say, that although I would not want the things that have happened to me to happen to anyone else, I am grateful for the lessons they have taught me. I am stronger having walked my own path. I am more compassionate. I believe for every trial, we are given blessings in return. Sometimes, we have to wait a very long time for them. But they really do happen. Life really can be good. Even my depression and anxiety are teaching me. They give me knowledge of how to help my children. They also teach me what to look for. Even my imperfections have a purpose. They are part of my own journey. The trails aren’t the end either. The tapestry of our lives is made with both the dark and the light threads. It is in the weaving that we find the beauty.
I do that too. I’m a “finisher” by temperament and see it as one of my greatest talents, which is therefore obviously one of my greatest weaknesses. I resonate w the freshness, the great relief, the improvement in my quality of life, since the increased awareness of both directions, up and down, good and bad. The presence and diminished catastrophizing is still tidal but hey, we don’t need to freak out now do we! 😉 Thank you so much Patty. Keep on.
I agree. I would never want anyone to go through what I did nor would I want to go through it again but throughout the 20+ years I have dealt with it, I have been blessed more often than any other time in my life…and, although I am occasionally shaken in my faith it has strengthen more than it ever did before my breakdown.
Ain’t that the truth! We perceive too often otherwise, but as you wrote, “I have been blessed more often than any other time in my life.” Thank you much Nance. Keep on.
What is the defination of “Salvation”? If one looks at it from a purly religious view point, it is the point in time that a person comes to the relization that he is a sinner, and has fallen short of the goal, or the mark. In Roman times, contestants would shoot arrows at a target. If they did not hit the target or what we would call the “center” or the “Bulleye”, the “marker” or the “caller” or “Judge” would call it a “Sin.” A sin is nothing more than missing the mark. The “Bullseye”. Absoulate perfection! Since we are mortal, there is nothing in our lives that can came close to absoulate perfection. So why do we need “salvation”. Are we not good enough in our selves? If the question is asked in only a religious point of view, the answer is simple. NO. Salvation is a point in time when a person realizes that he can not meat the demands of a Holy God who is Perfect. We come to realize that we are imperfect and that our God is Holy and all together Perfect. We are conndemened by ourselves. Our own souls cries out are imporfections. Our sinns, failures, missing the mark. We need salvation. The God of the Bible knows this. The Bible shows us not how we can reach God but how God is reaching down to us, man kind, to make Salvation possible. Man is incable of perfection. God has shown us Grace and Mercy to make us Perfect or Holy. And it is not of ourselves but what God did for us. Salvation is all about us, the point where we connect to our Redeamer. The point at which it is not about us but about our Loving God who wants to redeam us and make us Holy as He is Holy. We are always going to be devided betweeen ourselves and God but only throught the blood sacrafice of Jesus, Gods Only Son, do we whave redementation. Does that mean we have “redemtion” or “salvation”? Only in terms of God.
If we say “this world will fall away” we are saying that the old world and old heaven have passed away and a new heaven and a new earth will be created by God. Rev. 21:1. It does not mean what we have done has been reeased, it means that God has covered it.
Yes! God has removed the bariers between ourselves and Him, but we still hang onto the barriers that seperater ourselves and others. It is called self portection. Who in this world wants to let others know who we realy are? We do not want even our wives and husbands to know who we realy are. We are rechechard, sinnenfull, violt creatchers. We are worthy of nothing but death. We are conndemmened by ourselves, by our own actions and privote thoughts. Oh what rechard creatures we are from the knitting together of ourselves in our mothers secreat place. To be born, to live is more than the thought that I can give to it. Even David knew this. It would have been better if I had died than if I had been born. This is what the man said who was Gods friend.
Salvation is a point in time. Some would arguee that it is a progressive and quest that contineues through a persons life. I do not hold to this thought, but yet whaty am I? A sinner.
Salvation is a redemention, a brinning back from what is to come. Salvation is not necessarily a redemtation of what a person is going through. It may help that person to get through those times. But it may also condems that person to the physical Hell that he is going through, but may redeam him from the Hell of the next life. What I have to face today, God prommisses to take away.
It is all just “head” knoweledge to know that that I have Salvation. It has nothing to do with the day jn and and the day out of living that I have to endure. The day to day living it out, well, maybe David had it right. It would whave been better if I had never been born.
Salvation is something that is a promise. I just do not know how to make it real in my life, so it does not provide any comfort for me. It is just another example of how bad I am. manybe for others their is a comfort? If this is true, then you know know more of Gods grace than I will ever have.
Thank you, KA! You are in the meat of it – how do we care for ourselves if we perceive that we need to be ill, flawed, bad, to maintain connection with God? Then you took it to a lovely further place, God takes away our need to be sick by salvation, saying, “I want you now and then, in the good and the bad times, I’ve provided for the difference when necessary.” The problems in Me are no longer the point. Our connection is. Sweet!
Who wants a relationship with anyone that exists because the nature of the problems in a person rather than essence, the value of one? We’ve all had friendships on the playground like that, that hopefully we grew out of at some point.
I’m so glad to hear your voice and questions. Please keep them coming. We all are here together and need each other. What of God’s grace? Awesome points. Keep on.