S.O.S.

You’ve probably heard the expression “Save Our Souls” before.

What you may not know is where the saying came from.

S.O.S. was, first and foremost, a Morse code signal. It was originally adopted in 1906 as a distress call for ships. So if you were a Morse code operator, and you received . . . – – – . . ., you’d know someone was in danger.

The letters “SOS” being an ambigram – aka a word visible from multiple angles – attributed to its worldwide use. When read upside-down, it looks the same as right side up.

SOS is one of the most recognized acronyms of our day. If you walked up to a total stranger, nine times out of ten they could tell you what it means.

What’s the problem with SOS?

By no means is the expression “Save Our Souls” bad – it has saved countless lives over the years. However, let’s break the words down. Save. Our. Souls. I don’t have a problem with the first two…but the third?

Does being rescued out at sea really save our souls? Yes, it saves us, of course it does. But it only saves our physical selves. Our souls aren’t stored in our body next to our heart. They’re not physical entities – they’re metaphysical.

When someone rescues us, they keep our body alive. However, if our soul is dead, it remains dead.

The Coast Guard can come and rescue you, henceforth keeping your body alive and breathing. What they cannot do is rescue your soul from the devil’s pit.

But there’s Someone who can do both.

His name is Jesus. He is the only one capable of saving you in the long run. So what if you’re rescued from a sinking ship? Your life gets extended by 20, 30, even 50 years. Then what? You die like everyone must, your life having been prolonged, but still lacking purpose.

On the other hand, when Jesus saves you he saves you for 50 million years and more. He saves your soul. He saves you from an eternity adrift, sinking forevermore in the eternal fire.

Will we let Him rescue us?

You are the only one who can decide your ultimate fate. Sooner or later your boat will go down. The storms of life will batter and barrage it until a hole pops in the hull. The crack will then slowly grow, and grow, and grow. Suddenly you’ll find yourself up to your ankles in water, and then your neck.

You fumble for your flashlight, and turn it on. Short short short, long long long, short short short. Within minutes a white searchlight appears on the horizon.

Now it’s up to you. When the Coast Guard boat pulls up next to yours and the captain extends a lifeline, will you grab it?

Little do you know your life isn’t all that hangs in the balance, for Jesus is aboard that ship. He’s standing at the edge, reaching, hoping, longing for you to come to Him. He wants to rescue you more than anything in this world. He’s giving you a chance to save not only your body, but your soul as well.

Will you grab the lifeline, or go down with the ship?