Encounter with an Atheist

"We tend to focus on what we can and should do in the future, rather than what we can and should do today."
-Francis Chan

That was the sentence we started Bible study with tonight. Then we asked ourselves the question:
If you were absolutely, 100 percent submitted to the will of God at this moment, what do you think He might ask you to do?

The answer in my head. Go to the Conservatory.
So we did.

I met this girl. I don't know her name. I didn't ask it. But she was smoking a cigarette and had short black hair that hung in her eyes. She plays the violin in the orchestra and was on break from rehearsal.

"Are you in the Conservatory?" she asked.
"No."
"Then what are you doing here?"

I explained to her that after watching a video at Bible Study we decided that rather than sitting in our comfortable room and talking about the Bible we would go out and pass drinks out to people in the Conservatory, unfortunately I didn't have one left to give to her.

She didn't mind.She began to tell be about the piece that the orchestra was preparing: Bach's Matthew Passion. It was their first rehearsal of the piece. She thought my Bible Study might be interested in coming to see it next semester.

I asked her if she was a Christian. She said no...
But then something beautiful happened.

She told me that she admired me for what I was doing. A lot of Christians just study the word of God but don't get out and do something, not that that is bad, but here I was being proactive.

It was beautiful because she didn't condemn me. She didn't make fun of my faith or try to prove me wrong. She listened to me and responded well.

I never thought this would happen. It was beautiful. She was a wonderful person standing in the rain with me as she smoked a cigarette, with her bangs in her face, and her gentle spirit touching my heart.

I wouldn't trade that encounter for anything.