My failure to work hard to win a soul to Christ

 

Years ago, after I had left full-time newspaper reporting to try magazine publishing for three years—and failed—I took a job as a retail associate at a large home improvement warehouse store. I needed the money and the benefits.

In my 15^th year as a retail associate, I’m generally happy with the job and have no regrets. I enjoy the customers and my co-workers. I like working with, around and near tools, lumber, hardware. I’m curious about the plumbing and electrical departments and try to learn about those products. For the most part, I’m not interested in flooring or paint or home décor. I do indeed like the garden center, both inside and outside.

One regret I have is my spiritual failure with a co-worker years ago.

I had seen an advertisement for a new store being built in a town about 25 miles from where I live, and I applied, as I needed some additional income to keep the magazine going. Eventually I was hired and joined the 100-plus-member crew to stock the empty shelves in the huge store building in preparation for the opening.

Over the weeks that passed, I guess it became clear to my co-workers that I was a follower of Jesus Christ. An associate in the millwork (doors and windows) department thought that was ridiculous. He had been raised in a Christian home, but he grew up to refute all of what he had learned. He identified himself as an atheist, and he tried to engage me in argumentation frequently.

He often talked about how silly it was of Christians to believe in Creation and to believe that we are the only living creatures in the vast universe.

The universe is so vast, he said, that it is impossible, mathematically speaking, to believe that we alone are the life in that universe.

“That takes a lot of faith to believe,” I said. “You’re putting trust in mathematics. Why not believe in God?”

He said it was because he didn’t want to have anything to do with religion.

I said, “You have a religion, Shawn. It is atheism. You have a set of beliefs, and you trust that what you believe to be true will ultimately be true. That is faith.”

Well, he tried to start an argument with me about every day.

Finally, I said, “Look, Shawn, I think I might be a Calvinist. Do you know anything about Calvinism?”

He said he did not.

“Well, I don’t know much about it, either,” I said. “But the way I understand it is that some people are elected to salvation, and some are elected to damnation. I believe I am elected to salvation, because I am interested in knowing God and I believe He is interested enough in me that He was born in the flesh as Jesus Christ to live a perfect life, take on all my sins when he died on the cross and then rise again to show that eternal life is available to me if I believe in Him. You, on the other hand, appear to be elected to damnation. You have no interest in knowing Him; he seems not to have put any interest in your heart. So, you’re not going to change my mind about Him, and you’re not going to change your own mind about Him. Let’s just talk about something else.”

He looked at me, was quiet, and then said, “I can’t believe you said that.”

And after that, we rarely talked, and when we did it was not about God.

Looking back, I see that I missed an opportunity to continue witnessing to Shawn. Looking back, it seems much clearer to me that he was indeed interest in knowing God. I failed, however, to help him get to know Him.

I pray that God worked through someone better than I to win Shawn to Christ.