44 Days

El hospital de viejitos

As a family, we've been camping out at hospitals for several weeks. Last week Dad was transported to another extended stay hospital. On the second day, Dad looked at me and said, "Why do you all concern yourselves with me? I want to die. God told me he has a room for me."

My heart rejoiced. 

Dad hated religion, and he put Jesus' face on it.

So, there I sat jolted by his reference to God.  The very God who said:

"My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?" (John 14:2) (NIV)

Those were Jesus' words.  Just as Christ had to confront Paul (Saul of Tarsus), so that Paul would believe, Jesus the Christ had to proclaim himself to my dad.  This is how my dad became a believer.

I said,"Dad, Jesus Christ spoke to you.  In the Bible, Jesus tells Christians that in heaven he has a room for each one of us.  And you're a Christian, Dad!  You're right.  God does have a room for you, but dying isn't our decision.  It's God's.

The next day, I reminded Dad of what he had said.  Due to dementia, he didn't recall it, but he didn't deny Jesus either.  He was happy to be called a Christian.

***

To hear Dad say God had spoken to him was amazing.  Dad was the kind of person who refused to acknowledge Jesus Christ.  He wanted nothing to do with Jesus.  As a child living in poverty (one of nine children), he had grown up aware of the hypocrisy of the Bolivian Catholic Church.  He would tell stories of how rich the Catholic Church, and its priests had been.  Dad would describe the adorned church buildings, in his poor Bolivian towns, with disgust.  He also spoke of the cruelty of the priests who disciplined children with beatings.  Dad's anger towards religion caused him to despise the Bible, too.  He considered Bibles bad luck and would throw one away rather than keep it in his home.

So, my dad's conversion (and Paul's) has me wondering.  Are there some folks so stubborn, that Jesus Christ has to personally testify of himself to them?