“Wow. Uncle Fred really backed me into a corner this time.”

I read my uncle’s e-mail again, trying to figure out a way to answer his questions without offending him. 

Change of Heart

I loved Uncle Fred like a father. During my first year of high school, when my parents were talking divorce, I’d lived with Uncle Fred and Aunt Lucy. I even started calling them “Dad” and “Mom.” They’d guided me through a tough time, when I doubted my worth. Fifty years later, I still used some of the advice they’d given me. 

But my aunt and uncle were not believers. They acknowledged that there might be a God, but they’d never felt a need to become Christians. After all, they contended, they were good people. They helped others, never cheated, stole or murdered. Why should they need a Saviour?

They’d also felt disrespected when the minister at my grandmother’s funeral preached an evangelical message. Uncle Fred sent an angry letter to my mother—who’d planned the service—telling her that in the future they didn’t want to talk about religion, and they refused to argue the merits of Christianity versus any other belief system. 

Would I be risking my close relationship with someone I dearly loved by speaking the truth about God’s Word? JEANETTE LEVELLIE

Over the last 50 years, I’d prayed that God would send people across their path to share the good news of the Bible in a way that would open their minds to their need for salvation. After all, I often thought, Jesus Himself declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Not one of the ways to God, but the only way.

Aunt Lucy had passed away a few months earlier. She and Uncle Fred, college sweethearts, were married nearly 70 years. I wondered if her death caused Uncle Fred to doubt his long-held beliefs. Or should I say, “non-beliefs”? Had he changed his mind about discussing religion? Perhaps I was now free to share Jesus with him. The big question was, how could I do that in a loving, non-judgmental way?

Help Me, Jesus!

After I prayed for wisdom using my favourite prayer—“Help me, Jesus!”—I emailed back. I told Uncle Fred what I believed—that Jesus was the only way to heaven. Because we believed in Him to save us and forgive our sins, we’d go immediately into the presence of Jesus after we died and live in freedom and bliss for eternity.

Uncle Fred’s reply shocked me. “You didn’t answer my question, Jeanette. I don’t want to know what you think will happen to you. I wanted to know what you believe about someone who is not a Christian or has no faith at all. I don’t ask for the sake of argument. I would never get mad at you for sharing your beliefs in a non-judgmental way. I’m trying to enlighten myself and have asked several people this same question.”

Now, I really felt cornered. It seemed as if Uncle Fred wanted to know what I thought happened to Aunt Lucy. He had assured me he wouldn’t argue with my answers, but I was still worried. Would I be risking my close relationship with someone I dearly loved by speaking the truth about God’s Word? 

I realized this was a test of my belief. If I said, “I don’t know what happens to people of no faith,” I’d be denying Jesus’ claims about Himself. 

“Dear Dad”

I took a deep breath—several, actually—then asked the Lord to give me wisdom on how to explain my faith to my agnostic uncle. Finally,I sat down at the keyboard. 

“Dear Dad,” I started. “Since you asked, I’m going to shoot from the hip. Unlike many Christians, I do not believe that people of no faith will go to heaven. But I’ve come to know, over the decades, the heart of God. He is absolutely good, merciful and love personified. So based on that knowledge, I believe that at the moment of death, Jesus offers each person one final opportunity to give their lives to Him.” 

And then I held my breath. I knew I may be putting my relationship with my uncle on the line. But perhaps my words would make him thirsty to know more about Jesus. I prayed so. 

The following day, I received Uncle Fred’s reply. 

“Thank you, Jeanette, for your honest answer. I truly am seeking to know the truth.” 

Relief flooded my heart. But not only relief. Now I felt hopeful that my dear uncle had opened his heart a crack. That he might be willing to listen to the truth of God’s Word, that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Author of five books and hundreds of published articles, Jeanette Levellie and her husband make their home in Paris, Illinois. Jeanette’s hobbies include spoiling her three grandchildren, pampering her cats and inventing new ways to avoid housework. Find her splashes of hope and humour at jeanettelevellie.com.

Photos: InsideCreativeHouse/Stock.Adobe.com

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