a conversation with Bill

I can remember when I was a work-study working at the Corporate America credit card bank just a few minutes from my parents home. I was 17 and had been supporting the same team for about a year. I remember this time specifically because it was shortly after a youth camp revival for leaders and I was back on fire with my faith in God. Things had changed in me and the folks at work could see a difference. So one man asked me what was up and the conversation went a little like this...

Bill: Why are you so happy today?
Ryan: Today, aren’t I happy everyday...
Bill: You seem a little more happy than normal.
Ryan: Well this weekend I went on a leadership retreat with my school and it really helped me remember what’s important in my life.
Bill: Oh yeah what’s that?
Ryan: My relationship with Jesus.
Bill: Oh you believe that do you?
Ryan: Yeah with all that I am
Bill: I have a hard time believing something I can’t see, and I find it even harder to believe something because someone told me too.
Ryan: I can understand that, but I see Him all of the time in so many ways. What do you believe in?
Bill: I have faith/believe in my family, in my job, in more tangible things I can see and touch.
Ryan: but what about after those things go away? I mean how do you explain your being here? Do you think a big rock exploded and poof there is Bill?
Bill: Not sure, I don’t really think about that stuff, it doesnt really matter now does it, I am here.
Ryan: What do you think is going to happen when we die?
Bill: Doesnt matter to me, I will be dead.
Ryan: It matters to me, I believe that if I die today and I have not accepted Christ as my savior I will spend eternity in hell.
Bill: You believe in that Heaven and Hell too?
Ryan: Yeah, I sure do.
Bill: How about you get those copies over to Ted’s office he is waiting for the presentation.
Ryan: All over it... have faith that God will allow me to get there...
Bill: :)

Now a similar conversation happened between Bill and me a few times a month until I moved under new management. Still to this day I don't know where Bill's faith resides. I hope that he has accepted Christ and has not put his Faith in things that are of this earth.

It’s hard talking to a Bill when your 17 and still unsure of what God is telling you to do with your life, but one thing that amazed me about Bill was his faith in nothing. I just don't understand how you can have faith in so little when God is so big. It has been said that it takes more faith to not believe in God then it does to believe in God. When you see all that has been "made" in this earth how can you question a creator...a more pressing question that I was given about that time in my life was "but what if you’re wrong about all of this stuff you are doing here to worship God and you could have been having fun?" My first response was, are you kidding me, I am having the best time of my life putting my faith in a God who knows my beginning and my end. The more important question is what if we (Christains) are right? This life of fun vs. eternal life in hell with no fun... makes you think...