I watch silently as the water rises, submerging my ankles and rapidly climbing towards my knees. Light shines from above, illuminating the cold, dark water surrounding me. As odd as it sounds, a glass bubble imprisons me. At the top of my cage an opening is just my size; it offers a perfect escape, but I remain a prisoner. When the water finally reaches the top, the hole will close, drowning me in the despair of others.

"It doesn't have to end like this," says a warm voice. I smile at the sound of His voice; His words seem to radiate the love of the Savior. Every part of me yearns to join Him on the other side, but the weight of my responsibilities keep me here. With every new burden I take on, the water rises. With every new person I try to protect, the water rises. I can't leave yet! There is still someone I need to save! She needs me...

"You can't save everyone," he says softly. I feel a flash of anger because I know He's right. My weak shoulders can never carry the weight of the world.

"I can't leave her to drown! I can't leave any of them to drown!" I protest. There is silence, as if the man is shaking His head. Though I can't hear His voice, I know He's not really gone because His comforting presence is just beyond the glass. I wish I could take everyone's problems, and no one would have to cry. If I could do that, I wouldn't mind drowning tonight.

"Only I can save everyone," the voice says calmly. With clenched fists, I stare into glass, searching for His silhouette, but I see nothing. Frustrated, I realize the only thing I'm really angry about is my own lack of strength.

My frustration coming out in a rush of words, I yell "I know what I'm doing! I don't need your help!" I hear nothing in return nor do I feel His comforting presence. I am alone; the water growing colder than ever before. The fate I welcomed now seems cold and unforgiving. Doubts swarm in my mind, but my destiny has been decided. I have just pushed away the one person who could have saved me.

The water rises higher and higher; threatening to cover me. I am so deep in my regrets that I have lost all feeling. The water washes over my chest, inching up my neck. The opening in the top of the bubble offers some light in my dark situation as my breathing becomes a struggle. Just as the water pulls me under, a strange feeling of desperation consumes me. Frantically, I swim to the top, but the escape is already beginning to close. Why am I fighting? Isn't this what I wanted? My fists pound against the glass, but it refuses to break. No... No, I don't want this. I want to live!

"Please...help me..." my voice trails off as I lose consciousness, and my state of awareness resumes as the glass shatters. Rushing water carries me outside the bubble. A glowing silhouette as radiant as the sun looks down on me; His mere touch shattered my prison. His forgiving smile brings one name to my mind and my lips: "Jesus." The suffocating burden of my imagined responsibilities is finally lifted. I can breathe.