A Deathbed Conversion

The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

The 18-year-old girl was in the hospital room. Her bed sat amidst a forest of hissing machines and blinking lights.

The young preacher knew he’d found the right room. He straightened his tie. This was the hardest part of his job. He’d been sent here by people in his church to offer this girl salvation.

“Come in,” said the bubbly voice.

The young woman was covered in tattoos. The preacher could see punctures in her skin from where all her earrings, nose rings, and whatever-else rings used to be. She came from a broken home.

There were tubes entering and exiting her body from all locations. The bone cancer was claiming her life.

“I’m here to talk to you,” said the young minister. Bible beneath his arm.

“Really?” she said happily. “Nobody ever comes to visit me.”

The minister pulled a chair to the bedside. He sighed.

“I want to talk about your soul,” he said. “A lot of people in my church are worried about where you’re going to spend eternity, sweetheart.”

He paused. “I’m here to ask whether you are saved?”

She looked confused. “Saved? What’s that? I don’t go to church.”

“Yes,” he said, sadly. “I know that.”

The minister squirmed, but started going through the patterned speech about Hell, the Devil, eternal separation, sinful nature, repentance, eschatology, hamartiology, etc.

The girl interrupted him. “Oh, you’re talking about GOD!” She was smiling.

“Well, yes. God loves you and has a plan for—”

She laughed a beautiful laugh. “God and me are already friends.”

He covered his face and sighed. The kid still didn’t understand.

“God WANTS to be your friend,” he explained, “but He can’t, sweetie, not unless you humble yourself and…”

“But we ARE already friends.”

How could he make this poor girl understand? She couldn’t know God. She had not prayed the Sinner’s Prayer. She had not walked the aisle and confessed publicly. She had not repented. She was not even a member of a local church community. God didn’t just let ANYONE into heaven.

“You may THINK you know the Lord…” he began. “But all have sinned and…”

The girl laughed. “Of course I know Him,” she pointed. “He’s standing right there.”

The preacher followed her finger. There was nothing in the room.

Oh, brother, he said to himself. This was going to be harder than he thought. How would he convince this young woman about the everlasting punishment, immortal damnation, and realms where the worm dieth not?

“You mean, you can’t see Him?” she asked.

“No.”

“You don’t hear Him talking?”

“No. I can’t.”

The girl listened for a little bit. Then she laughed privately.

“What’s He saying?” asked the preacher.

“He says that you don’t have to worry about your wife, Carla.”

The preacher sat upright.

The girl continued. “Carla will not lose her job at the bank, there’s no need to worry. It’s all going to work out, He will provide.”

“How could you possibly…?”

“God also says that you need to call your brother. The doctor gave him some bad news today, and he’s really scared.”

“How do you—”

“And God says your daughter, Julia, has just broken up with her boyfriend, and she’s lost her confidence. She really needs her dad right now. But you’re working such long hours with the new church finance program, your family needs you.”

“There’s no way you could know—”

She smiled.

Nobody said anything for a while.

The girl finally said, “God says he wants to tell you something else.”

The preacher just listened.

“Judging a person doesn’t define who they are. It defines who you are.”