The first weekend of April I was in Tennessee to join my son, and a handful of other people to hike up Mount Leconte, the third highest peak in the Smoky Mountains, 6593 feet. 

This weekend trip was a time that I had been looking forward to. It was a time to be with my son. It was a time to enjoy the beautiful creation of God. Early Saturday morning we get ready our back packs and headed for the mountain. For the next four hours we crossed rivers, walked narrow steep trails, took some beautiful pictures, and made our way to the cabin on the top of the mountain. 

Sitting in the cabin that evening using a oil lamp, three of us and a guy who just sat down named Matthew began playing a game of cards. Matthew proceeds to tell us how he hiked up several bottles of alcohol as he sat there drinking one of them, with his live in girlfriend sitting beside him. A group of people at the other end of the cabin began singing some Christian songs. Matthew was sitting on my right hand, it was his turn to lay down a card. As the group began another song he threw out his card and said, shaking his head, “I don’t believe in God, I am an atheist”. 

Now, I have got to admit that my flesh almost got in the way. You see this was Saturday April 2 and I almost said, “Oh really, are you here celebrating your holiday?” Hoping he would say, “What holiday?” I was going to say, April Fool’s Day because “the fool has said in his heart there is no God!”

But because I had prayed and was listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit when Matthew said, ““I don’t believe in God, I am an atheist”, as I played my card, I just casually said, “I don’t believe in atheist”. 

No one said a word at the table. You see I wasn’t wearing my Christian t-shirt, I didn’t introduce myself as a pastor. I was just a guy on the mountain playing cards who said, “I don’t believe in atheist”.

Matthew said, “It doesn’t matter whether you believe in atheist or not we still exist.” I looked Matthew right in the eye and said, “That’s just like God, whether you believe in Him or not He still exist”.

Matthew is looking at me, my son is looking at both of us waiting to see what is going to happen next. Matthew reaches out his hand to shake mine and says with a smile, “Good answer”.

From there we talked about the God that doesn’t exist and the beautiful sunset that Matthew just said was one of the best he had ever seen. We talked some more and we parted as I said to Matthew just loud enough for him to hear, “Matthew, don’t give up on God, He has not given up on you.”

 


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