Alyssa, my 3 year old, was admitted to the hospital today. The hospital is one of my favorite places to witness, but when your little girl is sick it is difficult to take time away from her and her needs. We were assigned a room and after a few hours the doctor requested that we get a chest x-ray. I volunteered to lay in the bed with Alyssa as we were transported to another wing of the hospital. During our ride, I felt like the opportunity to share was getting closer. I thought maybe I could share with the gentleman who was pushing our bed, but he wasn't willing to do much talking. We were eventually placed in a room surrounded by sick people in beds waiting for an x-ray. I looked at the lady to my right and noticed that she was awake and watching television. The lady to my left had fallen asleep. It appeared to be obvious that the lady to my right was to be my opportunity when suddenly a doctor entered the room speaking Spanish. The lady that was awake did not speak English. A bit discouraged, I prayed for an opportunity to share. That is when I recognized a man who I had known in the past. He immediately recognized me and entered the room for a visit. We small talked for a while when I finally pulled the trigger.
Me: Did you know that I am a holy roller?
Cedrick: (with a confused smile) No, when did this happen?
Me: About ten years ago. What about you? Do you go to church?
Cedrick: Yes, I go to...
Me: What does your church say about getting into heaven? How do you get there?
Cedrick: Just read your Bible and go to church.
Did he say anything about Jesus? Cedrick understood a little about salvation, but his knowledge lacked a few of the essentials. There are many people sitting in the pews today with limited knowledge about who Jesus is and what he did two thousand years ago. I didn't give Cedrick a bunch of truth grenades to set him straight, I did lovingly shared with him the significance of the cross. We probably visited for close to an hour as he stood next to our bed. I guess there is always a positive way to look at a difficult situation. Alyssa was admitted and Cedrick repented.
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