Crossing the Line: Why I Chose Being a Lifeline Over Protocol

Six years ago (2019), in one of my darkest valleys, I wrote these words:
“The darkest place in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”

Back then, I knew what it felt like to cry out while others stood by, silent, neutral, unwilling to cross the line because it was “beyond protocol.
That memory never left me. It became the seed of my conviction: when a life is hanging by a thread, neutrality is not an option.

That’s why, years later, I signed up for Singapore’s biggest help desk organization for suicide prevention. I wanted to stand in the gap for people in their deepest pain. Because empathy isn’t something I learned from a manual — it was carved into me through my own suffering.

When Boundaries Felt Too Small

During training, I learned the protocol: don’t try to help, only support.
Stay calm. Listen. Set boundaries.

I understand why these rules exist. But as i continue, something in me ached. I couldn’t just offer neutral presence when everything in me wanted to reach further.
Because neutrality may be safe — but love was never meant to be safe.

Faith That Moves Beyond Words

James 2:16 says:
“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

That verse pierced me. Because while support matters, faith is meant to move.
And I knew my calling was not only to listen but to act.

This Is What Real Help Looks Like

For me, being a lifeline means:

Giving time, even when I’m already stretched thin.

Offering what I have, even if it feels small, because it may be exactly what someone else needs.

Crying with a person so they don’t feel alone in their pain.

Praying over someone, when they are too weary to pray for themselves.

Speaking encouragement, even when their hope is gone.

Sharing a home-cooked meal, because nourishment is more than food — it’s reminding someone they’re cared for, body and soul.

Helping with practical needs & taking real action, like connecting someone to a job opportunity or teaching a skill they need to move forward or anything God prompts me, even if it’s inconvenient.

Listening without rushing, allowing someone to unload their life struggles and simply be heard.

I’ve seen how powerful these simple acts can be.

This isn’t about being a savior — only Jesus saves.
But it is about showing up as His hands and feet.

Why I Couldn’t Stay Behind the Lines

I knew if I continued, I would eventually break protocol.
Because my call is not to watch from behind a line — it’s to step into the gap.

God has used my darkest seasons not as punishment, but as preparation.
Now, I cannot deny the assignment: to be more than a supportive voice. To be a lifeline.

Love That Crosses Comfort Zones

Jesus said in John 15:13:
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Real love inconveniences itself.
Real love sits in the mess.
Real love doesn’t just watch — it moves.

That’s the kind of love I want to live out. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s how God calls me to serve.

From My Darkness to Their Light

I began this journey because I knew what it was like to be unseen in the dark.
And now, I walk away from the organization because God is asking me to cross the line.

It won’t always be convenient. It may cost me time, energy, even comfort.
But I’d rather step into someone’s darkness than sit behind safe boundaries.

Because God didn’t just comfort me in my valleys — He commissioned me through them.

And so I choose this:
To help.
To act.
To be the lifeline I once needed.