What Could Have Been

One of the thoughts I constantly struggled with earlier in my Christian walk was whether I should wait until my old age to serve God wholeheartedly. To me, Christianity was full of rules and inhibitions, you cannot do this, etc. I felt it would simply deny me of enjoying my life. I was even more worried considering my hormones were raging, and the Bible was clearIy against premarital sex. I was thinking I should rather wait until my old age and then give my life wholeheartedly to God. But I did not consider that the length of my days are numbered and dictated by none other than God and that the whole duty of man is to serve God, hence I had better heed the advice of the sage to serve the Lord in my youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Nonetheless, I was quickly brought to my senses when I was miraculously saved from drowning. I was at the beach with friends and since I only knew some basic swimming skills, I stayed at the shore, following the advice of the lifeguard. I was jumping in the waves with friends. Everything was ok and I was really enjoying the whole experience. Then once I jumped and this time my feet did not touch the ground! I was trying to swim, but the waves were too strong for my basic skills. I was disoriented and did not know which direction to go. I was trying to shout, but when I opened my mouth I was drinking seawater!

In my desperation, I cried out to God. When I thought all hope was gone, a hand held me and brought me ashore. Like Jonah from the belly of the fish, I realized that the most important factor in this life is God. When I was drowning, my qualifications and credentials, networks, the material things that were competing for my commitment with God, could not help!

When I was ashore I kept wondering, "Is this how fast life can slip away, just one jump?" Just one jump and see where I ended up, so far away from the shore where I thought I was safe! I asked the one who accidentally swam to my end what prompted him to come that far and he said, "Something just made me come that far." I thanked him for listening to that small voice but thanked God ultimately for coming to my rescue as His grace and mercies found me even when I was doubting Him. Without God, I would be an educated fool, because there is always a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end is death. However, with God, you can access wisdom to navigate the issues of life successfully.

That night as I lay on my bed, I kept staring at the ceiling, knowing that I could have been lying in the morgue or my coffin some few hours earlier. And it has been a fruitful journey thus far and I have come to welcome the twists and turns as He did not promise a life without challenges. When you give your life to God, then you can truly enjoy life abundantly. The thief cometh only to kill and destroy, but in Him is life. As much as I love to socialize, I have also learned to be guided by the counsel ... blessed is he who does not sit in the counsel of the ungodly.

Sometimes we may deceptively think we are on the shores of a worldly temptation, but soon realize we are in deep waters and struggling to overcome. His hands are not too short to bring us to the shores of His presence, where there is fullness of joy.

Copyright © Felix Kwabena Donkor, used with permission.