Up until a few months ago, I worked part time on an ambulance. This is a story from a night shift.
At three in the morning, my partner and I transported a high school student from an emergency room to a psychiatric hospital. Prior to patient contact, we were informed this patient was under a 5150 psychiatric hold (determined to be a danger to themself or others). My partner drove. I sat in the back with the patient.
Nothing sensational other than good conversation happened on that call, but towards the end of it, I was contemplating if I should share the gospel with my patient.
He was timid, polite, and pleasant to be around. He was also the same age as the high school students I work with in my church’s youth ministry.
I went through the standard patient contact procedures. I took his vitals. I asked him the same questions I ask all patients.
He told me he was admitted because he tried to take his own life. He knew it was the wrong choice, but he just felt overwhelmed. We chatted a little more, and I asked him about his hobbies and interests. He eventually told me he was glad to be talking to me, and he thanked me for being kind to him.
When I asked what kind of music he listened to, it turned out we had similar tastes. I had my partner play some songs I knew the patient would enjoy. For the next twenty minutes, my patient and I sang together in the back of the ambulance, him from the gurney and me from the bench next to him.
With about 10 minutes left in our ride, I wondered what to do with the dilemma building in my chest: do I share the gospel now?
Maybe you’ve encountered a similar situation with a co-worker, customer, client, teacher, classmate, or student. What is the winsome and appropriate, yet God honoring way to navigate Christian witness in our workplaces? It would have done me well to think about that question before that night on the ambulance.
For my youth group students, each of their problems is an opportunity to speak the gospel into their lives. Their exams, track meets, break-ups, and addictions are all reasons they need to hear that God loves them. They need to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything.
Then what about this student that I encountered in the ambulance? The same is true of him that is true of my youth group students. He too needs to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything. I knew I’d likely not see him again after this night, and I didn’t want to waste an opportunity to minister to him.
From the back of the ambulance, I prayed to God that I would be faithful and loving with my words. I then decided it wouldn’t be appropriate to share the gospel with him at that particular moment.
I told my patient that I hope he knows I and so many people care about him, and that he is worth more than he could ever know.
He was silent for a while, then asked me if being an EMT is the kind of work I want to do forever. I smiled. I told him I was actually quitting in a few weeks to work full time at my church with teens just like him. He was a little surprised. Maybe he didn’t expect that answer or didn’t know how to react, but he thought it was cool.
The other week I met a doctor at a church event. He told me that at his primary care practice, he takes every opportunity to share the gospel with his patients. He offers to pray with them. I admire and respect what he is doing and how he is choosing to live out his own convictions regarding Christian witness.
When is it appropriate to share the gospel in your workplace? I’m still trying to discern the answer myself. It is surely dependent on your context and your conscience.
As for my time with patients on the ambulance, I was always happy to talk about my faith when the conversations led there. I often dropped a mention of church or God to test the waters for such conversations.
There were times, however, when I felt a great pressure to bring the gospel into conversations when it wasn’t relevant or even appropriate. I think I felt wrongly in my heart that I bore the responsibility of my patients’ salvation.
“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). This verse is often quoted to encourage Christians to share the gospel. I would say, however, that it is much more difficult to pray for months and maybe years for God to work in a person’s heart than it is to mention the gospel once and be done with it.
I have prayed for the teenager I met on the ambulance that one night for the past few months. In that prayer, the Lord is softening my own heart and teaching me to trust Him. He is showing me that He is in control of every person’s heart. I don’t expect to meet that teenager again, but I know God will bring to fruition his good and gracious plan.
This is the final series from the 2023-2024 Young Writers Cohort, with the authors writing about a topic they feel strongly about.
Photo Credit: Benjamin Voros