“Are we nearly there yet?” How often has this question come from the back seat of the car. You’ve only just got on to the motorway and the children want to know if you are nearly at your holiday destination.
As a fifteen year old I was on the train to London, on my way back to school. It was one of those old fashioned carriages with a corridor, separate compartments and bench seats. There were only two of us in the compartment. A middle aged woman and me. She suddenly said, “Are you saved?”
A question like that, out of the blue, from someone you don’t know, is a bit of a shock. Not to mention embarrassing. Especially to a teenager. I told her that I went to church and that my father was a vicar. She suggested that wasn’t enough for me to be saved and added, “Shall we pray about it?” I think I said yes.
I’m not sure that “being saved” is a one off. Any more than you can arrive at your holiday destination instantly. Travel is needed in both cases. The challenges of “Loving God and loving your neighbour as yourself”, come daily. Jesus’ life and words are a gift to us. Reflecting on them and putting them into practice is a lifelong process.
Chris Dawson