Love and Courage by Pam Walck

His hand felt cold. “Dad,” wake up I cried. I turned the basement light on. “Dad,” I yelled a second time. A blood-curdling scream came out of my throat, “Mom, call the ambulance.”

Finding my father dead in the basement occurred fifteen years ago. A decade later, my phone rang. I was at home on a Friday night. It was my brother’s son, Jeff. His quivering voice spoke, “Pam, my father’s dead.”

“What? I don’t believe it.”

“They found him upside down in his car, his neck was broken.”

“I have a Niagara County Sheriff standing right here.”

The Sheriff talked to me and reiterated what my nephew had said. They had identified the man as my older brother, Kevin. Doctors pronounced him dead on arrival at the hospital.

I got off the phone, crying profusely. “Why God, why? Tears streamed down my face. Lord, please accept my brother into Heaven. I do not know whether Kevin believed in Jesus as His Savior.”

On my heart, I felt the tender comfort of a God who will never leave nor forsake me. God didn’t tell me where my brother went, of course, but He immediately brought to me we cannot pray someone into Heaven after they’re gone. Each person must decide to accept or reject Jesus while on earth. God does not force himself on anyone.

Both of these sudden deaths have made an impact on my level of intensity for sharing the gospel. After all, only God knows our last day on earth. It could happen any time.

When my father died, I thought about the effect of his passing on my own life and my mother’s. I assumed my dad went to Heaven because I thought everyone who went to church ended up there. His death started a search in me. I read about the white light, reincarnation, and as many books as I could get my hands on to hear about the afterlife. Everything but the Bible.

When my brother’s death occurred ten years later, I had trusted in Jesus and understood from reading the Bible that “We are saved by grace, not works lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV) It doesn’t matter what anyone did—church attendance, baptism, confirmation—but whether we have trusted in Jesus Christ.

I didn’t know where my brother’s beliefs lie. Kevin had not attended church in a while, but two months before his tragic death, I invited him to my church and he went. We never had a conversation about his faith and whether he trusted in Jesus. Many people avoid conversations about religion out of fear or thinking that the talk may get controversial. But Jesus said, there’s only one way to Heaven, through Him (John 14:6). I want as many people to go to Heaven as possible.

Recently, I sat next to a couple on a plane and got into a conversation with the man about his faith, “I’m a back-slidin’ Methodist,” he said with a snicker. His attitude made me wonder if he took Christianity seriously. I probed deeper with,

“What do you think of the Bible?”“Well, I don’t believe in the miracles,” he said.

“I think he’s a good man.”“Only, a good man?”

“Well, yeah, he did a lot of great things, but I don’t think those were miracles.”

“Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?” I asked.“No.”

His answers didn’t surprise me—a man raised in the church but, based on his responses, an unbeliever. We talked for a while, and he seemed to have a scientific mind. “If I can’t see it, I don’t believe it,” he said.

“Did you see the Civil War?” I asked. “You weren’t there for that, but we have historical records and testimonies that it took place. The fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies, along with all the scientific and historical evidence, proves the Bible true and Jesus Christ is God.”

At some point, he seemed closed to further discussion. I encouraged him to read some apologetic books about the evidence for Jesus and also to read the Book of John, a little every day, asking God to reveal Himself. We got off the plane and parted ways on friendly terms, but I pray that whatever seeds God used me to plant in his mind would move him to seek the Lord.

When speaking to people about Jesus, we may meet some resistance, and we must let the Holy Spirit guide us as to when to speak and when to keep silent. I used to feel nervous when I’d ask a person about their relationship with Jesus, but it’s really not about me, but rather the individual and God. He can use us as tools through both our actions and conversations to bring people to Himself or to grow their faith.

When my thoughts center on Christ and the kingdom, and another person’s soul rather than myself; courage and love for others triumph over fear. I now enjoy sharing the gospel. How could I not, knowing that perhaps someday I’ll see in Heaven the person with whom I shared the gospel or prayed for their salvation?

I no longer look at the Great Commission, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation,” (Mark 16:15 NIV) as something only pastors or missionaries do. As Christians, we have all received a call to share Jesus through words and deeds, no matter our ages or careers.

As I reflect on my father’s and brother’s deaths and my hope of seeing them again in eternity, I recognize that sometimes the most important questions remain unasked. If we don’t ask a person about his or her relationship with Jesus, who will?

Pam Walck

I’m a Christian, work as a physical therapist, and I enjoy writing to inspire others. I hope that as you read these stories, they will motivate you to know Jesus as your Savior, walk in faith, and use your gifts and talents to glorify the Lord. My blog is: joyluke157.wordpress.com