The Atheist ‘n Me

…this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. –Luke 15:32b (NIV)

The prodigal son story in Luke 15 reminds me of an atheist I once knew. As a boy, he was blessed with a large, loving family. Yet, he was pretty full of himself; taking full credit for all of his accomplishments. He was kind of a nerdy science type. One night, he focused his cousin’s telescope, for the first of many times, on the rings of Saturn. The beauty and wonder brought tears to his eyes. He ran to find his sister and brother; he had to share this with someone.

As an adult he enjoyed the blessings of his own family; a loving wife and children. Through it all, he remained egocentric; focusing on his career and providing the essentials (food, clothing, shelter) to his family. He never knew his children’s teachers or doctors and he had no idea what the bright patches on their scout uniforms meant. Those details he left for his wife, focusing instead on himself and his career–desperately scraping and clawing to leave his mark on this world. After all, for the atheist, this world is all there is.

Then one day his self-centered world crumbled. Death, pain and darkness closed in on him from all sides, choking whatever life was left in him. Its funny really, he died one night while reading his bible. Gasping his final breaths, he realized he was getting exactly what he deserved. After all, the man who loves his life will lose it, John 12:25a. So, he stopped scraping and clawing and just let go. No one cried. No one noticed…Save One. His last thought was no doubt something like Luke 15:21, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. The atheist breathed his last breath and his heart beat its last beat.

Then the inexplicable happened. No one really understands it. A miracle. After the atheist had squandered all of the father’s blessings, and while still very far from home, God moved. Bridging sin’s empty void, Jesus plunged himself with deliberate abandon deep into the dead man’s heart, doing in an instant what the man could never do in a lifetime.

And Jesus commanded the heart to beat.
And the heart obeyed
And began beating
for Jesus.

My eyes, once blind, could now see. I sat straight up in bed gasping at the sight of Jesus on my cross. Dying in my place. I looked down at my trembling hands still holding the bible bought by the atheist.

The atheist…was gone.
And I…was born.
Again.
Tears fell.
Heaven cheered.

And I thought, I have to share this with someone.