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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: ROAD TRIP (vacation) (07/02/15)
“Are you saved?”

I scrunched up my face as I looked up from filling my car with gas. The guy standing next to me was Harry Silver, the last person I’d expect to ask me that question. I knew what he meant. A bunch of kids had gotten the Christian bug in school this last year. But Harry? He was the biggest druggie and tail chaser in our senior class.

“No, Harry, and I don’t want any part of it.”

“Man, it’s the best thing going. If you know Jesus you get eternal life. I…”

“Zip it, Harry.” I cut him off and turned my back, finishing with the gas. I got back in the car only to hear snickers from Jack and Bill. I waved them off and sped away.

Not only did I not want to hear Harry, but “the boys” and I were leaving for Wisconsin on the first leg of our summer trip around the Great Lakes before we went off to college. Jesus and this trip had nothing to do with each other.

We’d all been pals for years and knew most of the dirt on the other guy. There wasn’t much we hadn’t done together, from playing sports to attending ball games to spending a secretive night at a strip club. We joked and talked about all that and the trip ahead as we rolled down the road.

Each day we’d light up forbidden cigarettes or the occasional Swisher Sweet cigar. At night when we pulled into our destination town we stopped at a liquor store for beer and harder stuff. Mornings were a challenge and many times we started the day with red-rimmed eyes and a headache. It was all part of the experience.

A couple days into the trip we stayed with Jack’s relatives in Green Bay where we had the chance to see a Packers preseason game. Memory of a lifetime. I took a liking the first evening to Jack’s cousin Melinda and the guys started ribbing me. The following morning before going to the game, however, I quickly lost interest.

We were all chatting up Melinda and her friend before heading for Lambeau Field. The conversation took a disastrous turn when Melinda asked me, “Are you saved?” I about threw up. Beautiful girl, I’m working toward who knows what with her, and she says that? What could I say, but no?

She immediately began the spiel and I turned her off. Nothing could have been worse. Ruined the day, even watching the Packers and Cowboys.

Forgetting the very real disappointment with Melinda I enjoyed the remainder of the three week journey with Jack and Bill. Our motels were dumps, but who cared? The forests, the waters, the endless road, and the cities amazed us all and created lasting memories. We even got rousted by a cop early one morning after we’d cruised into Toronto and slept in the car by a lake. It was all good and a terrific sendoff as we each made our way to college that fall.

That trip was a defining moment for all of us and one we often referred to in the years that followed when we reunited. My two encounters also made a lasting impression. I’d always gone to church and continued to do so when I got married and had kids, but the concept of “being saved” stuck in my craw. How a hypocrite like Harry Silver could even think of going down that road made no sense. How could God accept somebody like him? For that matter, how could He accept me?

I believed in Him. I served Him. I figured if I did enough good things that would tip the scales and I’d get to heaven, so I didn’t worry about it. Still, this salvation stuff irked me at a deep level. When it came up I made fun of it as I had as a youth, never taking it seriously. On my road trip through life I had better things to do.

But now I have a problem. I’m old. Who knows how much time I have left? Maybe this decrepit body will hold out several more years, maybe not. I could die tonight in my sleep. A nurse asked me today if I’d made my peace with the Lord. A chill came over me, tears flooded my eyes, and I turned away. “Leave me alone.”

I’ve always resisted. Time is short. I don’t even know what to do.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
07/10/15
I've encountered many individuals like the MC. The tone was authentic and so was the internal dialogue as were the scenarios.

That last paragraph of a "life review" in short was the perfect ending to this introspective piece.

God bless~
Tracy Nunes 
07/11/15
This has a very authentic feel to it. It builds the tension as it goes along, leaving you wondering what he will do. A sad but meaningful ending. Loved it.