All the way I sat beside a Christian fellow. He was white, hearing, straight, and everything else that fit the stereotypical of an European-American Christian man. He read his bible, and I read my 'Beatrice & Virgil' novel. Like other passengers, it was mutual that we didn't talk to each other until something comes up.
I had hard time with a flight attendant. At one point, he (German aged at 70 or so) tapped my shoulder with his pelvis while holding bottle of water and cups. It irritated me. Some hearing people don't understand that Deaf people don't hear and speak. Isn't it amazing how stupid some people are out there?..
It prompted the Christian besides me to pray a bit, read some specific verses, and began to jot down on pages. I thought to myself, please don't pray to God about me being Deaf.
We landed at LAX at last, after two delays and long flight. Tru biz! He gave me folded note, patted on my arm, smiled & waved as he jogged away. I knew it was something like that, but four pages of hand-written letter? I was so curious to read what he wrote:
Darren, (I saw your name on your boarding pass)
I am so sorry that the flight attendant was too ignorant to understand you are Deaf. Many people in the world today have eyes to see, but do not see; and ears to hear, but do not hear.
I wish I could sign too, so I could talk to you directly. But, since I can't the best I can do is write this note. I want you to know that I'm writing this note because I care about you as a fellow human being. even though I don't know you and I likely will never see you again, I care.
I am a Christian; and I try to make a point of sharing my faith with at least one person every time I fly. I don't the fact that I can't communicate with you should keep that from happening. So, here it goes. I hope you will keep reading. And if you, too, are a Christian, I hope this will be an encouragement to you.
We (you and me) along with the rest of the world, are part of the ultimate statistic. 10 our of 10 people die. It is not a scare tactic. It's simply the reality of the world in which we live. When we die, we are going to stand before God and give an account for our lives. Because God is good; because He is holy, righteous, and just, He will judge each of us according to the moral standard of His Law. If we have ever lied, stolen, taken His name in vain, been angry without just cause, or disobeyed our parents; He will fined us guilty of breaking His Law. Because He is good, He must punish our sin. And the punishment God has ascribed for sin is eternity in Hell. Not very encouraging, I know. But please keep reading.
There is good news!
God - who is holy, righteous, and just - is also loving and merciful and kind. God is so very loving that He provided a way (and only one way) to escape the punishment we deserve for our sins against Him.
2,000 years ago, God the Father sent His son to Earth in the person of Jesus Christ - fully-God and fully-Man, yet without sin. He was God in the flesh - the Messiah who walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, and knew the intentions and heart of people.
About 30-33 years into His earthly existence, He voluntarily went to the cross. He shed His innocent, holy blood and died on that cross. Even though He did nothing wrong, He took upon Himself the punishment you and I deserve for our signs against God. Three days later, He rose from the grave. He is alive!
What God requires of us, Darren, is that we repent and turn away from our sins; and by faith alone, receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Please consider these things carefully, Darren. There is nothing more important than your soul.
And again, I have written these things because I care and so that you may receive the gift of eternal life.
Thank you for reading this. You are in my thoughts and my prayers.
Tony
(his email address)
So it was what he wrote. He ripped three specific pages from Bible, perhaps from the front because on each page it had a title - Holy Bible, English Standard Version; the Old Testament; and the New Testament. I guess it meant a lot to him that he ripped off his own Bible.
I don't know what to react, I suppose I can send him an e-mail praising or condemning for what he wrote to me. I remain an agnostic, and I care about every human being as much is possible. I repent sins as far as I have moral consciousness.
In 'Beatrice & Virgil', a taxidermist liked the story of Saint-Julian the Hospitator. Julian love to kill as many animals as he sets his sight on. Keep in mind - it was legendary tale that included slaying of dragons and wrestling with crocodiles. In the end when he faced God after his death, he was crowned with glory and sainthood, because he cared about people and fought for them. The moral lesson - it was okay to kill animals.
Bible has its flaws, and I wish I can share those thoughts to Tony. But I'm not up for an forth-and-back e-mails of debates on Bible and Christianity. I guess I can return him the favor by having him in my thoughts and prayers for him to come to enlightenment.
