One man’s refusal to demand repayment from another helped that man be open to receiving Jesus Christ.

It all began at the Silver Knob sand quarry on a ridge in Western Maryland near the West Virginia state line. There were only a few employees working there in the early days of the business. One of the longtime standby men was Olen; the other was Clayton (called Babe). Both were strong in stature and Garret County men who occasionally went hunting together.

Olen was a Christian in the Amish church. Babe was not a Christian. Babe’s speech was on the rough side, with not the best of language at times. And he sometimes told a mild joke about religion, especially Olen’s. But he was a good neighbor that could be trusted. His wife was kind and gentle to be with, and his son had a pleasant personality. Visits to their home were enjoyable.

But Babe was not a Christian and not a man of the church. He was a faithful Sunday afternoon ball game fan. Christians witnessed to him about God’s love. Numerous conversations and gospel tracts reminded him of the good news of the gospel. It all seemed to be of no avail. He committed to attend a tent revival meeting with Olen, where he heard a live gospel message. But he eased that away with complaints of inconsistencies in the churches.

Later in life, Babe was in a financial bind and needed help. He went to his longtime friend Olen, who agreed to extend him a loan. They agreed on an amount and the expected return time. Time passed by, and Babe paid no money back as agreed in the loan. Neither did he explain why.

Babe was no longer employed at Silver Knob, and things were getting difficult for him. Olen did not put pressure on him to return the borrowed money; neither did he demand that something of value be given from Babe’s belongings to cover the interest.

Perhaps he remembered a sad experience from his boyhood days during the Great Depression. His father borrowed money from a church brother to buy the home place from his father. Since it was financially tough for people, Olen’s father struggled to make it. When he didn’t have the money to pay the interest, the church brother came to the farm and picked a good cow to cover it. After all, business is business, and the interest is due.

Maybe Olen remembered the painful experience of watching one of their beloved cows being led from the barn to cover the interest. Maybe it was a cow he milked by hand and he even knew her name. At any rate, it made it harder to survive the depression while others were losing their farms. In Olen’s dealing with Babe, patience, sympathy and loving kindness took precedence over commonly accepted business practice.

Babe became ill and was diagnosed with a serious cancer. He was a patient in the local hospital. The two had not seen each other for some time. Then came the shocking news; Olen was seriously wounded while at work. He came close to losing one arm. He was rushed to the local hospital for medical aid. After several days, the two men discovered each other in the same hospital. They made requests to become roommates. They received permission, and they were pleased to be together.

As days went by, the sound of hymns, gospel songs and messages from God’s Word came from Olen’s bedside.

Babe knew his days were limited. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit was tugging at his heart. Across the room was Olen, who never mentioned the hundreds of dollars owed to him. Instead, he showed interest in Babe’s soul being right with God.

A nurse entered the room, “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m all right,” Babe said. Trembling and wet with sweat, he called for his friend Olen. “Pray for me, my time is short and I want to be ready to meet the Lord.” Babe said he felt this call when he was younger. “I rejected it then. If I don’t do it now, I will not have another opportunity.”

There, that night, was a prayer meeting, a period of confession and a time of rejoicing. It was a real joy to hear Babe say, “I mean business with the Lord. I want to go all the way.” There he gave his heart to God. Then he asked about his unsaved father, if only he could be saved, too. Confessions went on, “I’m sorry about that money, I wasn’t trying to avoid you, and I just didn’t have it.”

Olen said, “Don’t worry, that will be taken care of. This is more important.”

Sometimes Christians say, “Business is business,” and we must use business methods to get what is ours. They rationalize that some scriptural principles do not apply to business. Sometimes, they forget to practice Christian love to others because of business.

Jesus said, “What will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” (Mark 8:36). May we ask what it profits a person to gain much of this world while others lose their soul?

Babe was moved to Ohio to another hospital and then to a relative’s house to live out his remaining days. Christians visited him there. In his severe pain, he groaned to express his happiness in the Lord and said, “I am ready to go.”

Days later, the message came that he passed on. Our hearts are glad for the salvation of Babe, and Olen said it was worth every bit of money and the badly wounded and broken arm.

We believe the Holy Spirit could work freely, and the angels of heaven rejoiced at the addition of another soul because one Christian didn’t insist that “business is business” and we must handle it that way.

Simon Schrock is a member of Faith Christian Fellowship in Catlett, Va.