Saved For A Purpose

There are moments in life when death stands so close that you can feel its breath, yet somehow… you remain. Me, I always say, you are preserved.  Survival in those moments not only becomes a miracle to celebrate but also a challenge to live with, the rest of your life. It forces you to pause and ask yourself a deeper question: Why am I still here? What am I supposed to do differently now? When a person survives what could have taken them, they don’t return to life the same. Survival becomes the beginning of a new mission, a new calling.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting on my couch when I suddenly felt the urge to call someone I hadn’t spoken to in nearly two years. I didn’t plan it. I didn’t even think deeply about it. My spirit just sensed I needed to reach out. When he picked up, his voice was weak, heavy, and tired. He told me he had been violently attacked and stabbed, a knife landing just millimeters away from his heart. Doctors said if it had gone slightly deeper, he wouldn’t be alive. From home-recovering, he told me, “I never thought it could ever be me.” And this is the truth - none of us ever think it could be us… until life proves otherwise.

Then recently, another story hit even closer. A former colleague of mine woke up like any ordinary Tuesday morning. He had a meeting that day and mistakenly thought it was virtual instead of physical. He rushed out, boarded on a moto to get there… and a few minutes away from his destination, the moto got involved in a fatal crash. He survived. By grace. But the moto driver didn’t. He passed away shortly after they reached the hospital. And that reality doesn’t just leave bruises on skin - it leaves questions inside the soul. How do you walk away knowing someone died in the same incident where you were preserved?

I am quite sure, most of you heard the recent incident of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of Air India Flight 171 crash in India. When he survived alone, I just try to imagine what was running in his head. I guess it was quite traumatizing. He said: “For a moment I felt like I was going to die too… I still can’t believe how I survived.”

When a person survives near tragedy, the soul reorganizes itself. Psychologically, you awaken. Spiritually, you shift. Life suddenly becomes sharper and more delicate. You stop seeing time as automatic. You start seeing each day as borrowed, not guaranteed. Survivors learn not to take life for granted because death is literally one breath away. Every sunrise becomes a gift. Every sunset becomes a reflection. Even the small ordinary things, birds in the morning, conversations, laughter, silence in prayer- all become every day’s portion.  

They learn the importance of cherishing beautiful moments while they still exist. Time with loved ones. Memories with family. Worship moments. Enjoying sunrises and sunsets. Deep talks. Quiet presence. Those ordinary memories become treasure, because when hope feels weak or life feels heavy, memories remind you there was joy before, and therefore joy can return again.

They also learn the freedom of being themselves. When you realize life could have ended unexpectedly, you cannot afford to live it pretending. You start running toward who you truly are:  your passions, gifts, calling, because life becomes too sacred to waste living in disguise.

Furthermore, the heart becomes softer. You judge less. You love more. Pain becomes a teacher that tells you everyone carries invisible battles you may never see. Mother Teresa once said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Near death experiences make you realize love is the only thing that truly has eternal weight.

Why does God preserve us?

So why does God preserve some people? Why are some kept alive when by logic they should have died? I do not believe survival is random. I believe it is purpose. I believe God keeps people because there is still something attached to their existence. Some people finish their assignment early. Some of us still have work to fulfill. Rick Warren once said the purpose of your life is far greater than your personal happiness or dreams. Romans 11:36 reminds us everything comes from God and lives by His power. Proverbs 16:4 tells us God made everything for His purpose.

When you survive something that could have ended you, you are not just spared, you are sent back with an assignment.

Survival is a calling but also a CHALLENGE!

Because you don’t survive just to continue life normally. You survive to live differently. You survive to serve, to testify, to awaken, to love deeper, to live purposefully.

When you come back alive, you come back with a mission.

Have you survived to something? Please share your lessons

Cheers!