Page 22 of Hidden Ascent

“Is that it?”

“I think you’re missing the point.”

“No, I think I understand perfectly. You’ve screwed up. A lot. You’ve done terrible things and finally reached a point where you recognized the mistakes you made. Then, you cried out to God, admitting that you’re a sinner, and you asked him to save you.”

“How’d you know all that?”

“You’re not the first. It’s called salvation.”

“That’s not what happened out there.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’ve never been to church, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t touched a Bible in my life.”

“There’s nothing you can do to earn salvation.”

“Then how do you get it?”

“You ask. Like you did. Now you’ve got it. Your name is in the book of life. Welcome to the family.”

“It can’t be that easy.”

Peter laughed. “You call what you just did easy? If that were true, you would have done it a long time ago. It’s simple, but not always easy.”

“I only did it when I realized I couldn’t live without it.”

“No one can.”

“I’m still not convinced I’m the right man for the job.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve helped bad men get away with their crimes.”

“Okay.”

“You still think God wants my help?”

“I might not know your past, but God knows everything you’ve ever done, and He still saved you tonight. He still wants to use you. From my experience, God doesn’t look for someone who’s ‘good’. He looks for someone who’s willing. None of us is really good, anyway. Not without Him.”

“Okay, for argument’s sake, let’s say I’m in. What now?”

“I’ll need to bring you home with me. I realize that’s a big ask. You’re going to have to trust me, but I will never force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Peter had known a lot of guys like Jay. He knew he was brave enough to go through with it, but he might need a little more coaxing to get him curious enough to bother taking the risk.

“There is a chance this may not work out in the end anyway,” Peter said. “It’s important you know that up front.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know your qualifications. What if you don’t have the skills to do the job? At this point, I believe you’re the man God sent, but I won’t know for sure until I know what you can do.”

“As long as it’s not sitting at a computer for hours on end, I’d say I’m qualified.”

“We’ll see.”

“But you’ll have to tell me what it is you need from me. You haven’t even told me what the job is yet. Is it a secret?”

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