Are We ‘Losing Life’ or ‘Saving Life’?

Nearly a hundred years ago, Sadhu Sunder Singh and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains, trekking their way to Tibet. As they were walking, they came across a body lying in the snow. They checked the vital signs and discovered that the man was still alive, but barely so.

Sunder Singh prepared to stop and help the unfortunate traveler. But his companion did not want to stay back, as he was afraid that in delaying he too might lose his life due to the heavy snowfall. But Sunder Singh could not leave a person to die like that..

He lifted the traveller on his back and started walking. With great exertion on his part, made more hazardous by the high attitude, he carried the man onward. As he walked, the heat from his body began to warm the frozen man. He revived and started walking along with Sunder Singh. They were walking side by side and in turn each was giving body heat to the other.

Before long they came upon yet another traveller’s body lying in the snow. Upon closer inspection, they discovered him to be dead frozen by cold. Both of them felt very sad because they could not help the traveller.

Suddenly Sadhu Sunder Singh discovered that the frozen person was the travelling companion who was travelling with him a few hours ago! He had tried to save his own life by leaving another who was dying along his way.

Life too is like that, isn’t it?  If we go scurrying around in the ‘rat race,’ totally preoccupied with the “Me, My and Mine” sort of life, where will our self-centred worldly pursuits take us in the end? We try to ‘save’ our lives; but are actually ‘losing it,’aren’t we?

However, many others have lived to serve others, and  have left their mark in the history of our world by their selfless acts and sacrificial lives.

During this Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. By coming into this world, he lived a pure life of total sacrifice and selfless service. There was no guile in him, yet he was put to death on the cross. He died for our wrongdoing, so thatas we trust in him, we can enjoy his gift of peace, love and life—not only in this earth but also after death.  He motivates us to love and serve others, meet the needs of the disadvantaged, and comfort the sorrowing. Then when we die (as we all have to) one day, he will take us, as He promised, into the glorious and beautiful presence of the Father, with whom we will live forever. There will be no more sorrow, no more tears and no more death.

hat is what Christmas is all about!

—Juliet Thomas