Of Michael and Anthony

Back on Wednesday, Dec. 17, I spent much of the day at the O'Hare International Airport, wondering if the delay in my flight was going to be short, or the matter of several hours. It seemed all flights to Philly were experiencing some delay due to "weather" in Philadelphia. But in the course of that time, I met two different men, and had two entirely different conversations - both concerning God.

When I sat down at Gate F 10, I wasn't looking to evangelize anyone. In all honesty, I was tired. Just that morning I had turned in my last paper, culminating two plus weeks of burning the proverbial candle at both ends. After arriving at the airport, getting my boarding pass, and making it through security, I sat down for a leisurely lunch. But at the gate, it was anything but restful. I just wanted to relax, to veg, to rest. In the economy of God, however, He often has other plans.

Michael was about my age, and was on his way back to Philadelphia from Chicago, where he and a coworker had been doing some sort of project. I never did find out what they were doing, but it was obvious that they were both ready to get home, and equally irked at their flight being delayed. Michael had already been drinking in order to pass the time away. He seemed friendly enough, wanting to include me in the conversation with his coworker. Then he asked me what I was doing going to Philly. To make a long story short, I shared with him that I was out in the Chicago area going to school to study theology. That got his attention, to say the least. What ensued from there was Michael trying to argue me into a corner, trying to get me to admit that he didn't need to follow the church's religion, and that he was a good guy, therefore he didn't need the church.

I don't consider myself a gifted evangelist, per se. But I tried to meet him where he was. I asked him why he thought he was good, why he thought being good was good enough, from where did his sense of good and bad, and right and wrong come from? The questions seemed to irritate him, and yet he was the one who wanted to keep talking. I guess I could've walked away, but I felt that this was an opportunity from God. In the end, I felt like I had done nothing to help Michael understand what made my faith in Christ different from his belief that he was good enough to get by with God as he was. Michael did not accept my explanations. But as he finally boarded his flight, I was reminded that the Christian faith is not built on an intellectual or rationale series of thoughts. It requires us to believe. After Michael left, I felt like I had failed, and thought about what I could have done differently to have been effective in sharing the gospel with this man -- but it was for naught -- it just made me feel all the more like I could not share my faith. Michael didn't agree with me, but rather, felt justified to reject the truth in exchange for essentially worshipping his own self.

On the plane ride home, however, I met a young Korean man who was on his way back to Southern New Jersey. He had just completed his first freshman semester at Univ. of Illinois, and was feeling very reflective. It turned out that Anthony was a Christian. It turned out to be an opporutity to just listen to someone who was trying to make sense of his faith amidst all of the challenges to it within the college culture. Even though I was even more tired, what began as a conversation while waiting for the plane to take off continued on as a thoughtful dialogue on Jesus, the faith, the church, and our response to each. In the end, when the plane landed, what I did share with him were some things that God has been speaking to my heart. But the conversation turned out to be very encouraging for both of us. Anthony was very encouraging to me. In the sharing of his story with me, he also explained to me how the conversations we had were helping him understand points in his faith that were tough for him to grasp, and that as we talked, he gained insights into how to live out his faith well.

Where Michael left me down and discouraged, Anthony showed me that God doesn't waste opportunities -- that He is sovereign. What was my calling in meeting with Micheal? What came to mind later was the saying that some are called to sow, some are called to water, and some are called to harvest. We are called to be faithful to as much as we understand of God's plan. But this sometimes mean that we must just deal with whatever awkwardness, and keep doing what God was calling me to.

Anthony reminded me of the value of being faithful, and that even in the face of uncertainty, God has pleasant surprises for us. While Michael was really hard to talk to, Anthony, as a brother in Christ, was able to understand spiritual things. Anthony sought to be faithful, and even on a plane, with a complete stranger, he was willing to share out of what God had blessed him with and for.

The conversation with Micheal left me frustrated and feeling inarticulate. It left me questioning myself. But the conversation with Anthony was a gift from God. In some ways, I felt like it confirmed my calling to teach theology to seminarians, to pass onto them my passion for the Word of God as the basis for our theological work. But both conversations taught me something about the LORD and the church. Both taught me to trust the Lord, and to be faithful, even when I felt like I wasn't being understood, or what I said was rejected by someone. I don't know whether Michael thought anymore of our conversation - he was actually quite upset that I suggested only those people who received Jesus as their savior and sought to live for Him would receive eternal life - but I did ask him to consider what I had shared with him, and to read in Scripture for himself the good news that I shared with him that day. I have prayed for him, asking that God would bring someone into Michael's life in order for him to have opportunity to profess faith in Jesus Christ. I also prayed that Anthony would have the grace to follow through on his faith in Christ, and to pray for opportunities that would be in line with God's will for him to bring God glory.

Two men. Two different stories. Both in the same day. Both by God's glory. I thank God I had the opportunity to meet these different men and try to be faithful to what I thought God was calling me to.

What do you think?