Are You A Christian?

Occasionally I will be asked if I am a Christian and on those occasions I will give my standard answer that I was raised in the church, I am pretty knowledgeable in the Bible and I believe that there is a good story buried in there somewhere but organized religion has ruined it all. 

This usually where a pretty healthy debate and discussion begins between myself and the person asking.  My wife usually will, at this point, walk away from my side and mingle with others because she knows this is a topic that I can usually frustrate even the most devout of believers. 

But this is not a blog about Christianity and religion.  No this is about my vacation in Chincoteague and frolicking in the waves on the beach of Assateague.  For it was there that I was asked about my beliefs.

The setting is the beach of Assateague.  It is early afternoon and families line the shoreline catching the rays of the sun, playing in the sand, splashing among the waves of the ocean or body surfing and boogie boarding.  The weather was nice and hot and the cool breeze off the water made it comfortable.  I was out in the water waist deep with my 2 nieces and daughter enjoying the waves crashing over us.

As I am standing there a little boy swims over to us and asks me if I would keep an eye on him “in case a wave knocks me over and pull me out to sea.”  I’m not kidding.  He really said that. 

Me, being the helpful person I am and being a parent myself I am always mindful of keeping an eye out for children in the waters.  Even if they are not mine.  That is just the type of guy I am. 

I looked around and didn’t see where this kid’s parents were on the beach.  No one seemed to be looking over him.  Again, not a big deal. 

So one of my nieces asked what his name was and he told us he was Jonathan.  My other niece asked his age and he told us 8.

Then Jonathan looks to me and says, “Ask you a question?”

Me: “Sure, go ahead”

Jonathan: “No.  I asked if you were a Christian.”

At this point, I am thinking what kind of question is this coming from an eight year old.  What does he care at this point?  He has already put his trust, his faith, in me to save him should a wave whisk him off to sea. 

Jonathan:  “Because I don’t want to be in here with no sinners.”

At this point, I am hoping that a big massive wave hits the kid and tosses his ass onto the beach.  I was going to tell him that I was an agnostic and let him figure that one out for the rest of the day.  I wanted to tell him that the majority of people on this beach were sinner because they all piss in the ocean instead of walking to the bath house and to get over it.

My nieces just laughed at Jonathan.  

I took a few dives into some waves and turned to look and found our local bible thumper working his way north along the beach.  Maybe he thought I got swept out to sea because of my sinnerish ways.  Who knows? 

I did look to the heavens and thanked God for giving me one more story to blog about.