An experience I had some years back came to mind today.
I was riding in a van with a Korean friend. We were taking students home from a Bible study, and after we’d dropped off the last, we headed for an expressway to get home. It was dark, and my friend somehow got confused. He turned early onto the offramp for the expressway, not the onramp. It was a kind of half cloverleaf design, looping around to the left under the bridge over which we’d just passed, and I saw his mistake immediately. So I said, “Hey, you went the wrong way. Stop.” He said, “no I didn’t,” to which I replied with a little more urgency, “No, you did! You’re going the wrong way! You must stop!”
We were about halfway around the loop when he began to realize what I was saying. But by then it was too late. He slowed down, but we were close enough to the bottom of the ramp – albeit facing in the wrong direction – that we were able to make a U-turn onto the highway before anyone came.
This brought to mind for me today what I believe. I heard someone say recently, “If you’re not willing to tell people about something, then you must not think it very important.” So what does that say about the subject when I don’t say something about it when I supposedly believe it means life or death to others if it is true? I’ve heard an avowed atheist say “how much must you hate me if you believe I could die and go to hell but you won’t warn me?” This is the picture of tolerance really. “I don’t believe as you do, but you have the right to believe it — and if that belief includes you telling me of the dangers of a horrid place when I die, then it is only natural that I should expect you to tell me about it.”
Now, I understand that you wouldn’t be happy if I just came out and said “go to hell!” But I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying I don’t want you to go to hell – I care about you enough to warn you. On top of that, If you don’t believe as I do, it should really mean nothing to you. Pity me if you want, but attack me over something you think meaningless? Why would you do that? Especially when I’m not cursing you. I’m actually caring about you.
And so it’s a bit like my story (although not perfectly because my story had a bit of self-preservation going for it). If I know my friend is going the wrong way, and that way could lead to death, what kind of friend would I be not to tell him to stop and turn around?