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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Willingness (02/21/05)
He was a college professor with a PhD in physics. Certainly he was no dummy and even though he was my friend, I have to admit he usually intimidated me. For some reason he was never willing to be wrong. But for some reason, he was always willing to talk with me about god. He said he was a seeker of truth, but that he had all but given up on ever finding any answers to the truth about God.

Once again he stated emphatically, “All religions lead to God. There is no right or wrong way to God. There is no right or wrong answer. How can you say that your Jesus is the only way to God? He was a great teacher, but to believe Jesus is the only way to God is narrow minded, intolerant and limiting.

This time I was going to put aside my pride. This time I was not going to let him intimidate me. I knew that his eternal salvation was at stake.

“You are a man of science and yet you do not know even the basics of addition.” I knew I had made a bold and even offensive statement. I was desperate. I so much wanted to share my one true God with him. I so much wanted him to know that there is only one way to salvation, one way to One God, one way to heaven.

“I don’t understand the basics of addition?” He was incredulous. I thought I had lost a friend. I was willing to risk our friendship for even the smallest possibility that he would find God and receive eternal life. I prayed he would be willing to listen to me if I was willing to speak his language.

“You see if one plus one can equal anything, if there is no right or wrong answer, then we have no foundation for understanding the basics of addition. If we can’t be willing to accept that one plus one equals two, then we cannot possibly go on to understand the amazing patterns of multiplication, division, calculus, geometry and all the equations and patterns needed to comprehend physics.

“If we aren’t willing to accept that one plus one equals two, we can’t go anywhere. Don’t you see? It isn’t that this one correct answer is limiting, this one correct answer is freeing! This one correct answer opens up the whole world of mathematics and science, and all the things you love so dearly.

“That is how it is with Jesus. There is only one answer to finding the one true God. Jesus gave us that freeing answer when He stated unequivocally, I am the way, the truth, and the life. This one narrow and yet freeing answer in Jesus opens up our hearts to a whole new way of being, rich with patterns and an eternity of answers that lead us ever closer to the true God you have been seeking. This one correct answer gets us somewhere. It gets us to heaven.”

There was a long pause. What was it going to be, a lost friendship or a found child of God…

“I am willing.” That was all he could say before tears began to stream down his face. That was all this intimidating man could say before he humbled himself before a God he had almost given up on knowing.

“I am willing to say I have been wrong about Jesus. Jesus could not have been a great teacher if He had been a liar. I am willing to say that necessarily there must be only one right answer to God. I know the thrill of finding the right answer to an equation and you are right, the correct answer is freeing, not limiting.

“I am willing to accept that Jesus is that right answer, for at this moment I am experiencing that same thrill in my heart when I know that I have at last found the right answer. Most of all now that I have found the right answer I am willing to give my heart, my life to Jesus, to the one God I had almost lost hope in ever finding.”

My heart had stopped beating. I was so glad I had been willing to risk my pride. I was so glad I had been willing to risk losing a friend. Strangely enough I had lost my friend-- He was now my brother.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Karen Deikun
02/28/05
I was hooked from the start. Just wondered if this was a true story? Great way to approach the situation with a "Let's do the math" challenge.
Lori Othouse 
02/28/05
Wow, this was great! What a wonderful "logical" way to present faith. And the conclusion is awesome...the only correct answer is freeing, not limiting. Amen!
Lynne Gaunt
03/01/05
This is a really well told story. I hope it is true! It is definately hard to convince one who buys into the "many paths to God" viewpoint.

This is my favorite part:

"Don’t you see? It isn’t that this one correct answer is limiting, this one correct answer is freeing!"

Nice job! Keep up the great work!
Phyllis Inniss 
03/02/05
Is this a true story? It is really interesting, especially as you were able to bring your professor friend round to accepting the freedom that believing in Jesus gives.
Suzanne R
03/05/05
I too hope this is true. It is evident that God's Spirit had been working in his heart already ... and in yours prompting you to speak. Otherwise it would have had to have been a pretty strong friendship to survive ... and your story may have been about unwillingness. It made me think. Thanks.