by L C Walker
CHAPTER 4
With vacation Bible School over, the summer seemed to fly by for Mike and Gene. The day came when Mike was reminded by his mother that school started the next day. “I hate school sometimes. I just wish I could be a little kid all my life.”
“If you were a kid all your life, you would not be able to have a family and lead your children to the Lord like we did you and your brothers and sisters. Also, think of all the people that you have told about the Lord and how many people have come to a saving knowledge of the Lord because of you. If we had not had children, those people that you have witnessed to may have never heard about Christ.”
“Mom, I don’t think I have ever led anyone to the Lord. I tell as many people as I can, but I have never prayed with a person to get them saved.”
“Many times a person will plant a seed and never see the crop. It may be that you are planting seeds for the Lord and later, He will let you reap a crop of unbelievers once you get a little older.”
“But, Mom, I want to see people get saved right now. I don’t want to wait. I want to reap the crop right now.”
“You mean you would like to see some of the people that you witness to get saved right now?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. I talk and talk until I’m blue in the face and still some of the people I witness to will not accept.”
“Mike, I think you are talking about Gene?”
“Why won’t he accept? I’ve told him time and time again about Heaven and Hell, but he says he doesn’t believe.”
“One thing you must understand is that you can talk to some people about Christ until you are blue in the face and they continue to reject. Then, all of a sudden a stranger will witness to them and they accept right away. Each person has a special time when they will accept. We don’t know that time, so that is why we never stop witnessing. It could be the next time you talk to Gene that he will accept.
“Also, you have to remember that you may talk to someone all your life and they will never accept. They just don’t want to be a Christian and go to Heaven. Once they die, they will be begging for a second chance, but it will be too late. No one ever gets a second chance.
“Mike, I know that you like Gene a lot and you want him in Heaven with us, but the way Gene talks, he does not want to have anything to do with Jesus. Why don’t you get your Bible and see what Matthew has to say in chapter 10, verses 32 and 33. Remember one other thing. The Lord’s time is different than your time. You want Gene saved now, but if he does get saved, it will be God’s timing not yours.”
Mike walked back into his room and picked up his Bible and started to read Matthew 10:32, 33 - 'Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, who is in heaven.'
After reading the verse, Mike walked back into the kitchen and said, “Gene has to confess that Jesus Christ is his Lord or he will go to hell. He doesn’t have any choice. He must accept.”
“I think you are on the verge of understanding what the Bible is teaching. You used one word that you must understand completely.”
“What word is that, Mom?”
“The word is “choice.” It is the person’s choice if they confess or reject. You cannot force anyone to choose Christ. It must come from their heart. If you forget everything I have ever told you, never, never forget that it is the person that you are witnessing to that must make the choice to become a Christian; not you for him.”
“I think I am going to change the way I witness to Gene. Instead of always bringing up heaven and hell and telling him he has to accept, I think I will just wait until I have a real good chance to tell him about Christ.”
“That sounds like a good idea, don’t forget.”
“I won’t, Mom, and thanks for all of your help.”
Mike went down and called Gene. He told him he wanted to go to the creek and shoot at frogs with his BB gun. Gene said he would be ready to go in less than three minutes. All the way to the creek and home, Mike did not say anything about Christ or accepting. As far as the frogs, it was a very, very bad day for them.
“I wish this day would never end,” Gene expressed his thoughts out loud to Mike.
“Can you believe tomorrow we have to go back to school?”
“No, I can’t believe it. We had better make Tuesday last as long as we can. What else do you want to do today?” Gene asked Mike.
“Why don’t we get our bikes and just go riding?”
“That sounds like a good idea. Let’s go.”
Up one street and down another went Mike and Gene. At the end of Second Street, they had to cross over Grand, in order to use the sidewalk. They both took off at the same time and then they heard the squeal of the tires and the horn blasting. Mike slammed on his bike brakes, but the next sound Mike heard was a boom. He saw Gene sliding on the concrete and then hit his head on the curb. Mike jumped off his bike and ran over to where Gene was lying. Gene had a trickle of blood coming from his ear and he had a huge knot on the top of his head. Mike thought for sure Gene was dead. He just lay there not moving.
One of the neighbors saw the accident and called the police immediately. Within seconds, sirens could be heard coming down the street. The first person on the scene was a motorcycle patrolman. He looked at Gene and asked on his radio how long it would be before the ambulance would arrive? The dispatchers said the ambulance would be there in about two minutes. “This little boy does not look very good. He has some type of head injuries.” Mike kept looking down the street for the ambulance and hoping and praying that it would get there as soon as possible. His inner thoughts gave him the idea that maybe his best friend was going to die.
“What is your friend’s name, son?”
“His name is Gene Pittman.”
“Do you know what his father or mother’s name is?
“Yes, his dad’s name is Darrell and his mother’s name is Thelma.”
“And do you know where he lives?”
“He lives next door to me.”
“Son, where do you live?”
“Right around the corner about five blocks.”
“Do you know your address?”
“No sir, but I can show you where I live.”
The sound that Mike was waiting on was growing louder as it raced down the street toward them. It was the sound of the ambulance’s siren.
“Now, Gene has a chance. Please, Lord, let him live, please,” Mike prayed.
If Mike knew how the Lord worked he probably would not have prayed for the ambulance to get there. If a child does not reach the age of accountability and he or she dies, they go immediately into the presence of God in heaven. But, if they do reach the age of accountability and they die, they go to the compartment of torment.
King David knew that a child goes into the presence of God if they die before they reach that age. In Second Samuel 12:21-23 the Bible says, "Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? Thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
David knew that the child would go into the compartment of paradise and wait with all the others for Christ to take that compartment to heaven at His resurrection. When King David died he went to the same place that his son went when he died, that being paradise.
The police officer called the dispatcher with the parent’s names and told him to get back to him if they could not contact them soon. He told them he had a small child with him that would take him to the home, whether the dispatcher located them or not.
After Gene was placed in the
ambulance and rushed off toward the nearest hospital, the patrolman asked the driver of the car to give him a quick story of what had happened. The driver said he had just turned the corner when both boys started across the street without looking in both directions. He stated he was only going about ten miles per hour. “If I would have been going the speed limit, that little boy would be dead, no doubt about it.”
By the time the man finished, a patrol car had arrived to finish up with the investigation and to get names and the car license number. The motorcycle cop told Mike to take off and he would catch up with him shortly.
All the way home, Mike was crying and praying that Gene was going to be alright. At the house, he ran inside and told his mother what had happened, as the policeman was coming to a stop in front of the Pittman’s house. She took off her apron and ran next door to see if Thelma had been informed.
When she answered the side door, Thelma knew something was wrong because Mike was crying. The panic started to set in and then came the question. “Has something happen to Gene?”
About that time, the policeman was coming around the side of the house. As she saw him from the corner of her eye, Bonnie answered, “Yes, Thelma. Gene has been hit by a car. He is on his way to the hospital.”
Thelma looked from the policeman and back at Mike and asked what had happened. “We were crossing Grand, when a car came out of nowhere and hit Gene. I was able to put my brakes on or I would have been hit, too.”
“Was Gene talking or saying anything? Were his eyes open?” Thelma asked as she began frantically looking for her purse.
Mike looked at Thelma and with tears, bigger than ever, rolling down his cheeks, he said that once Gene hit the curb with his head, he did not move or open his eyes. “He hit the curb really hard. He must have slid at least fifty feet on the concrete before he got to the curb!”
Thelma’s heart sank to the lowest part of her body. She was thinking the worst when she called Darrell at his work and gave him the bad news. “I will be home as fast as I can and pick you up.” The policeman told her he would send a car for her to go to the hospital. Bonnie broke in and told Thelma that she would take her to the hospital and to tell Darrell to meet them there. They decided that would be the quickest way.
Bonnie, Thelma, and Mike were there before Darrell arrived. Thelma went straight to the Emergency Room and asked about Gene. “Are you related to the young boy?”
“Yes, I am his mother.”
The nurse called another nurse on the phone and within seconds the Intensive Care nurse arrived.
“How is my son?”
“He is very lucky. He has no broken bones, but he does have a concussion and a very big knot on his head. We think it would be best if we keep him overnight just to make sure there isn’t something else. Is his father on the way?”
“His dad will be here anytime.”
“We will need both of you to sign the admission papers and a release form, so we can work on him if something serious would occur tonight.”
“We can sign the forms, but I will be here all night,” Thelma replied.
That night, Mike was on his knees before he went to bed, praying for Gene and asking the Lord to get him saved. A knock came at Mike’s door. It was his dad.
“Can I come in Mike?”
“Sure, Dad.”
“I hope I did not interrupt your prayers. I thought maybe you would like to talk?”
“You didn’t interrupt my prayers. I was finished. You know I was praying for Gene.”
“I thought that might be what you were doing.”
“Dad, what would have happen to Gene if he would have died today?”
“I think he would be in heaven with the Lord. The Bible says that little children will be with the Lord if they do not understand what salvation means.”
“But, Dad, Gene does know what salvation means. Does that mean, since he knows, that if he were to die, he would go to hell?”
“First, you think that Gene knows what salvation means, but maybe he doesn’t really understand. Second, I don’t know Gene’s heart. It could be that the Lord takes little children in accidents because he looks forward into the future and sees that they will never accept, so He takes them before they can be held accountable.”
“But, Dad, if that is true, then why doesn’t God take everyone that He knows is going to reject Him before they reach the age of accountability?”
“Son, if God did that, then there would be no one in hell and no one would have choices to make. That would prevent a person from ever rejecting or having the opportunity to accept. That is not the way God works. Each person has to make a choice. Remember? That is what your mother said to you just the other day. For some reason, which is beyond my thoughts, God takes certain ones before they are accountable. That is about the best answer I can give you, Mike. I hope that helps just a little?”
“Sometimes, I think I know exactly the way God works and then other times I can’t figure God out at all.”
“Mike, don’t feel bad. There isn’t a man that has ever lived that has figured God out, and there never will be. Now, let me tuck you in for the night.”
That night, Mike had a dream about the accident all over again. He could hear the squealing tires and the loud thump, when the car hit Gene. He could also see Gene scooting across the concrete, aiming right at the curb with his head, and he could not do anything to stop it. Then he heard that loud bump, when Gene’s head hit the curb. It sounded just like a shotgun going off. As Gene hit the curb in the dream, the noise was so loud that Mike woke up with sweat rolling down his forehead and his heart beating ninety miles an hour. “Oh, it was a dream. Thank God for that.” It had not happened all over again. However, it was a sound that would stay with Mike for the rest of his life.
The next morning, Mike was up and wanting to go to the hospital and see how Gene was doing. His mother reminded him that this was the first day of school and he must go. Thelma called just before Mike left for school and asked if he would tell Gene’s teacher about the accident and let her know that he would be back on Monday for sure.
On the way to school, his other friends asked question after question about the accident and if Gene would be okay or not.
“The nurse said he had a concussion and that, usually, that meant he would be fine in a day or two.”
Once at school, Mike made a bee line straight toward Gene’s teacher to inform her about him. He said that Gene would be back in school on Monday.
Miss Dawson asked, “When will Gene be out of the hospital?”
“The nurse said he was going to stay all night so they could watch him and he should be able to leave today.”
“You tell Gene, if you see or talk to him, that we will be thinking about him and we will be praying for him, also.”
The moment the last bell rang, Mike was out the class-room door and running as fast as he could to get home, so he could see if Gene had been released. As the front door came open, Mike threw all of his books on the couch and hollered for his mother.
“Did they release Gene?”
“Yes, they did and he has been asking for you for the last hour.”
“Mom, I’m going next door to see Gene.” In less than ten seconds, Mike was knocking at the front door to Gene’s house.
Thelma came to the door and told Mike that Gene had been asking for him.
“Can I come in and see him?”
“He is in his bed with a very big goose egg on his head. Go on back to his room.” Thelma said with a smile. She was thinking how great a friend Mike was for Gene. She was also hoping that Mike could reach him for the Lord, in a way she still did not feel comfortable doing. Thelma was always afraid her husband would find out that she was a Christian and then make fun of her.
“How do you feel Gene?”
“My head is killing me. When Dad gets drunk, he says his head is killing him or he says his
head feels like it’s about to come off. I now know what he means when he says those things.”
“Do you remember what happen?”
“Mike, all I remember is seeing so many stars. I thought I was in outer space. Mom said a car hit me. I never even seen the car.”
“I didn’t see the car either, but I sure heard it’s tires squealing. I heard the driver say if he had been going faster, you may not have made it. You were really lucky.”
“Did you tell my teacher that I would be out of school until Monday?”
“I told her and she said she would be thinking about you and to tell you that she would be praying for you, also.”
“Oh boy that is all I need, even my teacher is praying for me.”
The weekend seemed to fly by for both Mike and Gene. Monday was just another day for Mike, but for Gene, it was his first day of school. If you think that Gene was the topic in school that week, you are exactly right. All the teachers and the students wanted to know what it felt like to get hit by a car and to be in the hospital with a concussion.
He told them he really didn’t remember a thing, but he hopes that nothing like that will ever happen to him again.
After that week, things started to taper off until almost everyone forgot about the accident. Gene was once again just another student in school.
“GENE, WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE HIT BY THAT CAR?”
“Lord, if You would have asked me that question before our last conversation, I could not have given You an answer. But from our last conversation, I think You are going to say that You were trying to soften my heart.”
“THAT IS A VERY GOOD ANSWER. YOU ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I PLACED IN YOUR PATH IN ORDER FOR YOU TO ACCEPT.”
“I wish I had opened my eyes and my heart to the things that I can see so clearly now.”
“YES, GENE, THAT IS THE WAY IT IS WITH MAN. HE DOES NOT THINK UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE AND THEN HE SEES THINGS WITH HINDSIGHT, BUT BY THEN, IT IS OFTEN TOO LATE.”
Each year, during Mike and Gene’s grade school days, they were very close friends. Every summer, until they were out of grade school, they went to Vacation Bible School together.
Their first year in Junior High School was a real eye opener for both of the boys. They were the little seventh graders and an easy target for the older boys. Mike and Gene were starting to learn what it meant when people spoke of peer pressure.
Most of the older boys had already learned the curse words that were going around. Every time one of the boys in school would get mad or come close to getting in a fight, the curse words flowed like water out of their mouths. For Mike, he flat refused to use those kinds of words and he told anyone that asked that he would not let trash like that come from his mouth. On the other hand, Gene was starting to follow the crowd. Not very often, but every now and then, Gene would let one or two words slip out around Mike.
When they started the eighth grade, Mike still had decided he was going to be like Christ and not talk like the other boys. But the summer had changed Gene totally. Not only was he using every bad word in the book, but one “so-called” friend of his asked him to try a cigarette. Gene didn’t like them at first, but because of the peer pressure, he was smoking more and more every day. After three months, Gene was hooked. Gene was spending more and more of his time with boys that were not like Mike at all. You have to remember, in 1959, one of the worst things a young boy could do was smoke cigarettes. Also, Gene was listening more and more to Rock and Roll.
In the ninth grade, things were going along pretty well for Mike and Gene. Mike accepted the fact that some of his friends were going to smoke and some were not. As for him, he didn’t like the smell of cigarette smoke and the price a person had to pay for a pack was unbelievable. The boys again started doing things together just like they had when they were in grade school. However, things changed very, very quickly.
Gene’s oldest brother, Harold, had a friend of his that was twenty one. He talked him into buying him a case of beer. Harold put the beer in the icebox in the garage. He knew that his dad and mom would never look in that icebox because it was just there until they could get it sold.
One day, Gene was in the garage looking for a screw driver, when he just happened to open the icebox door. Gene’s first thought was, “Wow, look at all this beer.” Harold had only drunk six cans when Gene found the beer. With no one looking, he opened one can and drank it down. “That wasn’t bad at all,” was his thought. The second can was even better than the first. The third, fourth, and the fifth were just as good as the first, also. He knew Harold was probably going to miss all that beer, but he wasn’t interested in what Harold thought at this point.
He found the screw driver and off to the house he marched. Well, he started to march toward the house when the beer hit. He just barely made it back to the garage before he fell, luckily, on the couch. “What is happening to me? Everything is going around in a circle. I don’t feel very good. I think I am going to be sick.”
With his head over the stool in the garage, Gene threw up for almost an hour. He started thinking again about what his dad had said about his hang-over. This time, Gene knew exactly what his dad meant by the phrase “sick as a dog.”