Growing up, I lived across the street from an elderly couple, Ruth and Hugh Lee, and their brother Art. As a young boy, they seemed like the nicest people. My brothers, sisters, and I would often sit on their porch while they served us gingersnap cookies and milk. Those cookies were the best, and they still are my favorite today. As wonderful as they were, I felt sorry for them because, in my view, they were not going to heaven. You see, I was taught that anyone outside our belief system was far from God. I shared my concern for their well-being with my father, who assured me that God would make allowances for some, and because of their goodness, they would probably be granted entrance into heaven. 

About 30 years later, I dedicated my life to Christ, having previously believed that simply being baptized as a baby and attending church meant I was already in a relationship with Him. Yeah, well, I learned that I was relying on my parents’ faith and had never personally entered into a relationship with God or Jesus Christ Himself. 

At some point afterward, I was invited to share my story at a church in a nearby town. After that service, a woman approached me and asked if I remembered her, and I did. Her name was Evelyn, and she was the daughter of Ruth Lee, my neighbor growing up. She then shared how her mother had prayed for my family and me every day and how she would have been so blessed to see what God had done in my life. Honestly, I was immediately humbled. To think that for years I saw myself as having a superior belief compared to hers, while she quietly prayed for me, never realizing that the answer to those prayers wouldn’t come to fulfillment until after her death. 

I’ve learned a lot since those childhood years. I’ve realized that you should keep praying even if you don’t see an answer. I’ve also realized that I don’t have all the answers and that I need to trust the Lord rather than rely on my own understanding. Think about it.