A co-worker approached me a few months ago with a question that kind of came out of the middle of nowhere. She said, “Don’t be offended, but I’ve been thinking about something and just wanted your take on it. You’ve been going into prisons for years to share the gospel to inmates that have done all kinds of things.” I said, “Yeah, that’s true.” “So here is my question,” she said. “How much difference do you really think that you’ve actually made?” Before I could say a word, she continued to give her thoughts and reasons. “I just can’t help thinking of all the time and efforts that you have put in over ten years and if you have actually made any difference. How many lives do you think you’ve really saved by teaching them about God?” She then said, “I’m going to guess not many.” My response was “WOW. Okay, just give me a minute to answer with something that might help.” I quickly turned to God and asked for an answer that would help her to understand. My prayer was simple. Jesus a little help here.
A few minutes went by and this is what came to me.
“Can I ask you a question?” She didn’t answer, but I continued anyway. “If you were walking home one day and came across a house that was engulfed in flames with several children inside and they were screaming for help, wouldn’t you want to do something to save them?” She gave me a look as if to say, “not the same thing.” I said, “Just let me finish. You’re standing outside and you can hear their desperate call for help and you know the house very well and that there is a way out that they might not be aware of. Wouldn’t you want to tell them about it? Now keep in mind that you are facing the sad realism that you can’t save all of them. You can only save a few. Wouldn’t you want to try to save the ones you could or would you think, well, if I can’t save all of them why bother it’s just a waste of my time and walk away?”
She stood staring at me for a minute and then cracked a little smile. She said, “Ok, I get it.” I said, “Do you see how I just planted seeds that made you rethink something? That’s all we are doing, is planting seeds and pray that those seeds will grow and redirect them. We tell them about a path that can lead them out of the deadly inferno they’re living in. We know that we can’t save them all but we have to try to save the ones we can.”
