“I am a theistic-agnostic.”
This is the conversation I walked into when I stepped into the gym the other day.
I was moments before putting in my headphones and tuning out the world. This however peaked my interest.
I walked over to the window and leaned against it as the two parties spoke.
On one side was an incredibly muscular man (we will call him Tom) who was evangelizing while weight training two others in the gym. On the other side was man (Jeremy) who was overtly straining himself with every exercise.
I stood silently as both parties made their claims. Tom quoted scripture to Jeremy. Jeremy quoted scripture back to Tom.
What was occurring before my eyes was something hard to watch. Both sides were more concerned about being right than anything else. This is, unfortunately, a common practice I see in evangelism.
At this point, neither party knew my stance, only that I was listening in to a personal conversation.
Once both parties exhausted all their memory verses, I began to share my heart.
I told Jeremy about the miracles I have seen God perform; the healing of the deaf, the loving of the orphans, and the provision of a father. I shared with Jeremy the heart of the father.
Then, Jeremy said something profound. “If there is a god, where was he when a young child cried out to him for over 25 years while being abused?”
This was not a hypothetical person, Jeremy revealed a piece of his life. He revealed his hurt and his issue with the Lord.
My heart sank into my stomach. I could sense anger of a child still in this man. A child so desperately wanting to be held and told everything is going to be ok.
As the conversation progressed, Tom asked if he could pray for Jeremy. After a few minutes of debate, Jeremy agreed to be prayed for. Jeremy paced around the gym, spiritually being tugged by the Lord yet resisting as much as he could.
Tom laid hands on Jeremy, praying a spirit filled prayer.
Then I spoke to Jeremy.
“The Lord has allowed you to walk through the hardest things because He has a purpose for you that required you to go through it. He has given you a heart for the abused and hurting. Who better to see them than someone who experienced the same? You did not suffer alone. The Lord was with you the whole time. He knew this day would come that you would say “yes” to Him.”
Jeremy looked up to me and said, “That was the MOST REAL thing about God that I have ever heard in my life.”
Jeremy reached out to Tom and exchanged information to go to church on Sunday. May the Lord be with him.
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