Barb had been in and out of our lives through the years as she moved around with her jobs. When she retired, she moved back to Helena to be close to the only people she considered family. My mom was one of them.

As Barb neared the end of her life, Mom became her caregiver. One day while visiting Mom, I had an opportunity to chat with Barb. She was resting on the couch, so I pulled up a chair to sit next to her. Barb didn’t believe in God so I knew I needed to bring up the “God” subject. I hesitated though, because as Barb’s pain had grown, she’d become short-tempered and conversations were a bit prickly.

I took a deep breath. “Barb, I don’t want you to leave this world without knowing about God.” Her response came out with a spat, “Well, if there’s a God, where is He now? Why isn’t He helping me now?”

Without thinking, I responded a bit more defensively than I intended, “Have you ever considered Mom is God’s way of helping you?” Barb seemed at a loss for words and I knew the conversation had ended.

Soon after, Mom asked our pastor if he could visit with Barb to discuss final arrangements. He shared his faith and later relayed that Barb made a decision to ask Jesus into her life.

Barb died a few weeks later. I went back to Helena to help Mom with the funeral arrangements. We decided to include a relatively new song, “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. My sister Colleen had a CD of it and would bring it with her when she came for the funeral (yes, there were days before modern day streaming and Pandora).

The day of the funeral, a horrific snowstorm moved in, creating white-out conditions. Mom’s phone rang. When she answered, I quickly realized Colleen was on the other end. They made the wise decision that she shouldn’t risk traveling on the roads.

As Mom continued her conversation with Colleen, I realized we’d need to find another copy of the song or decide on another song. Mom had a wonderful selection of older music from her era. Perhaps she had a good alternative.

I sat down in the old creaking rocking chair to look over her music. Picking up a CD, I realized it had “I Can Only Imagine” on it. Who would have guessed Mom was so hip? Such joy to once again recognize how God provided exactly what we needed.

So, just as planned, Barb’s very intimate funeral included “I Can Only Imagine”. It seemed so fitting, and I couldn’t help but wonder what Barb experienced as a new believer, just meeting Jesus.

In the years since Barb’s passing, I’ve thought of how close she came to not meeting Him and how timid I’d been about telling her, knowing I’d receive pushback. Ezekiel 3:18-21 reminds us it is our responsibility to warn others that if they don’t turn from their sins, they will die. If we don’t warn them, when they die, then it’s our fault, but if they listen, we’ll have saved a life.

In a time when the world seems a bit chaotic, sharing the Message of Jesus is even more important. In fact, it might be the only “important” thing we do. Be bold. Have the conversation. Don’t worry about how they will respond. Reactions and responses aren’t up to us. The only thing that matters is that we are obedient to God Almighty in sharing His Good News.