Communication
Words never spoken will never be heard
I learned this fateful lesson one day long ago when I was in my early twenties. I was employed as a transmission specialist in a large Chrysler dealership in Florida. As I became acquainted with all the other mechanics one in particular stood out from the rest. Ed was an older man in his mid sixties and he seemed rough from the start. He spoke rough and he was a loner, never letting anyone get too close. I gladly kept my distance as our duties did not require us to interact with one another. But I often watched him from the corner of my eye and wondered about this man and why he was the way he was. I was far from Gods will for my life at this point and rarely if ever attended church. I was much too busy living the life of the fast moving metropolis and doing all the things so many young men tend to gravitate to, but I did continue to watch this man day by day and wondered at the way he seemed so angry inside all the time. I admired his large tool chest and his large inventory of tools. It was obvious that he had been a mechanic for a very long time. He was very efficient at his work and rarely took a break, and when he did it was always alone. I almost felt sorry for this “old timer” and wondered if he had a family to go home to at night. I will never forget the afternoon he had a heated discussion with a friend of mine who worked in the garage area with us. I can still see his angry face as he pulled a knife from his back pocket and held it to my friend’s throat in a menacing display of aggression. My buddy was a timid young fellow and was so white he looked terrified. I am sure now that the older man never intended to harm the guy, but that day it scared us all nearly to death. It is safe to say we were all intimidated from that day forward and he had no problem at all keeping everyone from coming anywhere near him unless there was no way to avoid it. His steely eyes had a way of penetrating to the very depth of your soul and making you feel so uneasy it was difficult to even work in the same huge building with him. It was obvious to me after the “incident” as we all called it that this man was not a Christian, but I never said a word to him about Christ. I think the only reason he was allowed to keep his job is that he was so good at what he did and even though he was not very nice to be around he was a really gifted mechanic. The last day I ever saw him was a Friday afternoon as I was washing my hands in the restroom and preparing to leave for the day. As I stood there at the sink I heard the door behind me open and in he walked. I looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror as he crossed the floor and I hoped he did not have his knife in his pocket. It is at this moment that my life changed forever and his life could have if I would have been a stronger, more prepared Christian. I can still hear the voice inside my head, so loud I was amazed that no one else noticed it. It was a simple but powerful command, and when I say “command” that is exactly what my heart felt as it boomed inside my head that day. “Tell this man about Jesus”, simple and to the point and it literally riveted me to the spot. I looked up to see if any one else had heard it but we were alone in the restroom. I decided to ignore this strange voice as a nervous glitch in my brain and not risk an altercation with this ruffian. After all I thought, I have not been in church in months, how could I be qualified to tell this man about Jesus Christ? Just as I was convincing myself that it was just my imagination I heard the message again, “tell this man about Jesus”. I was so frightened that I quickly dried my hands and spoke a quick empty greeting to him as I passed and almost ran out of the restroom to get to my car and get home. I thought about what I had done and at the time it really did not bother me too much to have ignored my feelings to act and tell this man what I knew was the truth and how it might help him lead a happier life. After all, he might have beaten me senseless for being so bold as to preach to him in a restroom. My best friend and roommate Bob was the service manager at the dealership and he was uncharacteristically late getting home that night. He was visibly shaken as he came through the door and shared with me the saddest news I could have ever heard. He told me that that the old man Ed had left the restroom and as he crossed the breezeway to return to work he collapsed near the entrance to the garage area. An ambulance was called immediately but his soul was gone before they ever arrived. No one could help him; he had suffered a massive heart attack and was already dead when he hit the floor. I ask my roommate Bob if the man had said anything before he collapsed. No he recalled, Ed walked out of the restroom and never said a word to anyone. I realized then that I was the last person on earth to have ever spoken to this man and it had been his last chance to hear the good news about Jesus. He might have become angry and hurt me, but he might also have repented and received forgiveness before it was too late for him. He had been given a chance to make a U-turn but I had failed in the great commission and let my creator and Ed down. Always remember when you feel the need to speak the truth, just speak up and follow your heart. Someone’s soul might well depend on it. I still grieve in my heart for my shortcoming but I will never forget that words never spoken will never be heard.
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