| Sunny Side Up! Sept. 12, 2001 � 2001, Kathleen Gibson Even Smart People Need God I�ve always suspected that our friend is from another planet, but he called from Ontario tonight. We talked for about an hour. As always, our conversation was stimulating, refreshing, and challenging�but what else would you expect from an alien? Doug is the father of nine children, now a widower. He owned a log cabin company for years, dabbled successfully in architecture, designed and built homes�the last on his own property, for a family who needed a hand up. He has written three books, landscaped gardens that draw people from miles around, been a master woodcarver, built his own darkroom and judged photography contests. And that�s all on his own time. Professionally, Doug is a chemical engineer. Well, was. He retired as a consultant just a few years ago, until which time he was still regularly summoned to corporate court cases as an expert witness. I don�t need to tell you, he�s a very smart alien. And he�s now eighty-three. Wherever he comes from, people don�t seem to age there. Our Ontario home was near Doug�s in 1990. Doug�s daughter, who lived in Toronto, called us in the middle of the night. Would my husband go to her father and please tell him that her mother had just been killed by a drunk driver outside of Toronto? She�d been on her way to her job as a private nurse two hours away when the accident happened. Her father was hard of hearing, she said, he wouldn�t hear the phone, and anyway, she didn�t want him to hear the news like that. Rick drove over to Doug�s country home. All was dark. He knocked. No answer. He tried the door. It was open, so he walked into the black hallway. �Doug,� he called loudly. �Doug!� There was a pause. Then a voice. �Yes, pastor. How can I help you?� When you know what you�re about to say will forever alter a life, there�s a physical feeling that sinks to the soles of your feet like a boulder down a well, ripping off part of your heart on its way down. Rick stood there in the quiet, praying for strength for both of them, then said. �Actually, I�m here to help you.� �The light�s by the door. Turn it on and come in.� Rick did, somehow finding strength to move his feet toward the master bedroom. He sat by the bed while Doug fumbled for his glasses. Then he told him. There were no histrionics. Doug looked up, quietly said, �Father gives, and Father takes.� Then, vigorously, �It�s Gertrude�s birthday today. What a present she got!� I told you our friend is an alien. So brilliant, his abundant knowledge and expert opinions have been sought by his peers for decades. So simple that he thinks of God as Daddy�a father whose actions are unquestionable, and unquestionably good. I know people who think they�re too smart to need God. And some really smart people who know they�re nothing without him. You can respond to this column at [email protected] |