Not a Sales Pitch

As I was sitting alone in the cafeteria one afternoon, far from home, overwhelmed and lonely on a campus of twenty thousand coeds, an older student walked up, smiled, and asked if he could join me. He took a seat as I prepared to engage him in what I expected would be a heady discussion of politics, philosophy, or science. Thrilled to have the company, I was mentally preparing for anything he threw at me.

Glancing up from his plate of spaghetti, the first thing he said was, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?”

Stunned, I was completely at a loss for a response. “Um, yeah, actually I have,” I finally managed in reply.

“Oh,” he said. “OK, that’s good.” He wore a look of minor defeat. He had chosen the wrong table; he had hoped to share the gospel with a non-Christian. We chatted politely while I finished my burger. He ate quickly and excused himself. I never saw him again after that day.

I’m sure he sincerely wanted to serve God by witnessing in that cafeteria. Sharing the gospel is good, but the way he asked about my salvation sounded more like a sales pitch than a serious inquiry. The least my fellow student could have done was ask my name and show interest in me as a person before asking me what was actually a very valid question. Keep reading