Working in the medical field felt like a constant battle against reality. Getting call after call, we tried to defy the odds, to bring the "dead" back to life. Working in the medical field as an emergency responder, these constant battles have given me a new definition of hope, "Doing the impossible."

The funny thing was, that even though we understood the odds, and knew that a patient wouldn't make it- we never gave up. We would work endlessly, giving everything we had, and expecting it to work. I remember for myself, the only time I thought my patient was dead, was when they were well past the point of any salvation.

In many ways, I guess you could say Christianity is like medicine, we both place our hope in our own salvation, and we work to ensure the salvation of others... all from this single source of hope- this hope that something greater than "reality" will happen.

Just like First Responders, EMTs, and ER staff, we are told to keep hope alive as long as the person is not physically dead (Ecclesiastes 9:4), and to never stop trying to ensure their salvation from eternal death... and just like these amazing responders we may face failure after failure.

I remember working on one individual, knowing somewhere deep inside that he was already gone, knowing that there wasn't any chance. Refusing to give up, we worked continuously, struggling to try to find any type of life. Perhaps there is nothing more frustrating than giving everything you have, and not seeing anything change, not seeing the person grasp any form of life... and just as we were getting ready to give up, the impossible happened. This man's heart started a normal beat, and he began breathing regularly, almost spontaniously.

Prior to his "salvation," there weren't any signs of life, and no signs that he even had a chance. At the same time, seeing him come-back was one of the greatest feelings I have ever had, knowing that I helped to save this man's life.

As Christians, we are the Witnessing EMTs. It is our job to show others the hope of glory, the Salvation of Christ, the way to life. And sometimes it is easy to grasp how many people have refused to hear the Word, how many we "couldn't save." But it is life-filling to see those who do. And just like with medicine, sometimes we do not think we are having any impact, but in reality we are giving the person new life.