5/21/12 George, about 30
Apathy. When it comes down to it, isn't this one of
the main reasons so many people simply ignore God in their lives? Or is there something more to it, something
deeper? Many people, such as a young man
named George whom I met at a Dunkin' Donuts today, when asked about their
spiritual beliefs simply shrug their shoulders and say they simply don't think
about it much. How can we start a
conversation about spiritual things when people say right off the bat that they
simply aren't interested? One thing I
have found that most people do like to talk about, if they truly have the time,
is themselves! George expressed
disinterest at first, but he sure brightened up when I asked him some key
questions about his spiritual background.
Since he grew up Catholic but is no longer active in church, I asked
"So at what point did you leave the
church? Was it a particular incident or
did you just get caught up in other things that seemed more important?" George had gradually slipped away from
church, and it came as a shock to hear himself discribed as leaving the church,
but he couldn't deny it. He said he still believes in God, and hopes he
will be found good enough for heaven. "Do
you feel like you can never be good enough, going through life and wondering
how you will be judged?" George
nodded in agreement, like he had always had this sort of feeling but had never
heard anyone put it into words. It was
simple questions like these - not a canned evangelistic spiel - that got George
engaged in a good conversation and helped him hear the Gospel. In fact we talked for 20 minutes before he
told me that his girlfriend was waiting for him at the table behind me. I
wanted to respect their time, and felt sure he would read what I gave him, so I
started on my way but not before he said "No one has ever asked me questions
like this before - thanks for taking the time to talk with me".
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