as a youth pastor, who should not be surprised by anything a person under the age of twenty would say or do, i don't want to admit my shock at a conversation i had yesterday - but i was just a little. i was also saddened.

i pulled into the tire shop to have some work done on my truck, some work i've been putting off for way too long (no surprise there). pulling in, i noticed a guy and two girls who looked to be high school students sitting outside the shop. i knew i was going to be there a while, and i was immediately compelled to talk with them. i went inside to let the people know what i needed done, and had a seat with my book, while i tried to think of how to approach those teenagers. before i had sat there for two minutes, they all came in and sat right next to me. (God was making it a little easier on me). i got into their conversation, found out they had just graduated last year, why they were there, and we joked and laughed some. i turned the conversation "religious" as soon as i could, mainly directing my questions to the guy who was sitting right beside me. to get to the point of what happened, it turns out he goes to church with his mom occassionally (a baptist church in gastonia, i think). he believes in God, heaven, hell, the eternal soul, and everything that goes along with it. but he keeps it out of his mind so it doesn't concern him.

i did a little asking just to keep the conversation going, but without my help, he told me plainly that he knows he's not right with God. he told me that he could very well get hit by a truck (his illustration) and die today. and God would turn him away. he would spend eternity in hell. when i asked him if this bothered him, he said not really because he keeps it out of his mind. he said that right then it was bothering him some because he was thinking about it, and that's why he doesn't think about it. and he said he didn't care. he said that if he lived to be older and have his own family, he would probably change, but if he didn't live to be older and died before he changed, he would just deal with it.

of course, the conversation had much more to it than just that little bit. the girls he was with said some things as well, some of which i could agree with. one of the girls said that no one could judge the guy as being bad; no one knew his walk with God but him. i told her that was true, then turned back to him and asked, "do you have a walk with God?" that drew some nervous laughter, but i hope it made the point.

we didn't get to talk too long before they left, and we never even got into names. i don't know too much about them, and they don't know much of anything about me. but before they left, i turned to him and, in other words, told him that God had brought us into the same place at the same time because He wants him to think about it. he acknowledged the thought, and the conversation continued to come and go for a couple more minutes.

when they left, i was saddened. i was saddened and speachless that someone could accept the knowledge of God and eternity, and work so hard to keep it out of their minds. and i was saddened by the fact that, even if we keep eternity out of our minds, it doesn't chnange it's reality. i pray that he'll think about it. i hope he'll find himself in other encounters and situation where he is forced to think about it. i hope and pray that when the final decision time comes, he'll make the choice to change his mind and trust in Christ.