Living the Win/Win Life!

             Recently, I watched a documentary about Hurricane Ian that struck Ft Myers Beach in September of 2022.  My family, friends, and I have vacationed there many times, so the video story of the devastating impact of that storm was both sad and fascinating. 

            Several individuals were spotlighted as they told their heartbreaking efforts to survive one of the most devastating storms in the last 90 years.  As I listened to and watched the video, I saw several places that were very familiar to me, now reduced to rubble.  One man talked about being swept out of his home as it began to collapse around him.  He found himself in about 15 feet of fast-moving water and was desperate to find something to cling to.  Thankfully, he found a tree and hung on for dear life until the water began to recede.  He survived the storm!

            The saddest part of his story was that he credited that tree with his survival.  He was so certain that he owed his life to that tree that he had a picture of it tattooed on his shoulder.  How sad!

            Jesus is the source of our salvation—not a tree, not “luck”, not “good karma” as some might think.  As Christians, we are the most blessed people in the world. As Paul tells us in Philippians, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will b exalted in my body, whether by life or death” (Philippians 1: 20 NIV84 emphasis added).  His message is that we are privileged to live a “win/win” life.  If we live, we live for Christ; if we die, we join Christ in victory.  What then, should we fear?

            The Persecuted Church lives with the reality of our “win/win” life every day, and when they are saved from those who seek to do them harm, they don’t credit a “tree” or anything or anyone else with their safety.  They know that their help is from the Lord! 

            When we pray for deliverance from whatever problem or danger that we face, do we really believe that God will bring deliverance?  When the cancer tests come back negative, did the doctors make a misdiagnosis?  When the job search results in the job you always wanted, was that because you are so good at selling yourself?  When you survived the accident, was that because the car was so well built?  I think we both know that the answer to those questions is “no”.  Unfortunately, we often react to those “saving moments” without giving credit to the One who has delivered us.

            I realize that God will not always deliver us from pain and sorrow.  He won’t always put a “tree” in our path when we need it most.  That’s the reality of living in a sinful world.  However, even without the “tree,” we still have Jesus, and for those who are in Christ, that’s a “Win/Win”!  Don’t get confused about the source of your salvation.

Philippians 1: 20 – 23

Psalm 121: 1, 2

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