One Train, Two Journeys

While I was sitting aboard the Amtrak train in 2016: a man from Philadelphia sat next to me. When we started talking, we learned we did not share the same philosophies

He told me that he and God had a connection . He said as a Christian he was on the VIP list to get into heaven.

Though I disagreed I sat there and listened. I was genuinely curious and started to ask questions.

I asked him, "if there was a god wouldn’t all of us be his children?"

He said that everyone is a bad person. He said, "you have to repent for your sins and accept Jesus into your heart to receive his blessing."

I am not religious so we never came to any sort of agreement. But a lot was achieved because I sat there and listened.

He explained what led him to become a Christian. He said CS Lewis was a Christian that influenced him, and gave me one of his books that he had with him.

He then gave me his number and told me to call him if I had any questions.

He said it would also be okay if I threw his number away. His stop was next and so we parted ways. I never did follow up after that day, but it was rewarding to listen to what he had to say, We didn’t agree on anything, yet there was a mutual understanding. We might not always see things the same way, but if we start to listen to each other then maybe we achieve something someday.