By: Steve Fandel

Dates are often significant.  I’m talking birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. When I was a teenager, I recall feeling somewhat short changed over a specific date. It happened after this Catholic kid had struck a friendship with some Protestants at school.

I remember them talking about and sharing the dates they were “saved”. They would sometimes recall the details of that moment they gave their life to Christ. It might have been during an altar call, on an especially spiritual youth trip or perhaps during a bible study with close friends.  I felt good for them, but rather confused for myself.

You see, growing up in the Roman Catholic faith, we were never taught about “being saved”. At least not using those exact words as I recall. Much of our primary focus was learning the beliefs, practices and rituals that make up the Catholic faith. But that’s not to say we ignored Jesus.

We read and studied the saving news of the Gospels just as often as our Protestant bretheren. We learned early and often about the saving grace and salvation that comes from Jesus Christ crucified and risen.

I suppose it was sheer human nature that caused me to be somewhat envious that I was unable to cling to an exact date when I was saved. Peer pressure undoubtedly played a role also at that early age.

We don’t want to admit that we lack something that all our close friends have in common. No one likes to feel like they either don’t belong or can’t quite fit in. Not to say that my friends were being judgemental when it came to the topic of being saved. They never ridiculed me or caused me to feel inferior because I didn’t have such a date.

As an adult, I’ve not been at all bothered by all this, it’s just a memory that’s stuck with me. You see, I know that I’m a work in progress when it comes to my Christian walk.

My Catholic upbringing consisted of certain significant dates as well. The dates of my First Communion and Confirmation would be among those. But even those dates (long ago forgotten with age) are not the same as the “saving” dates that mark salvation for some.

I’m happy for friends and family who have those specific dates of salvation to share when talking about their own walk, or sharing with others. I view my Christian walk as an ongoing journey; there are milestones along the way to be sure, but none are as important as the path itself.

We are all a “work in progress” when it comes to our faith journeys. I hope that I never cease to grow in my Christian faith. I know that sometimes I please God and there are certainly other times that I disappoint Him. But the joy is in the journey.

I pray that I will always be thankful for my salvation, while understanding that that experience is personal and unique with each of us.
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