Looking Up

“It was a sign from God.” A pair of coal-black eyes, embedded in a troubled expression, met mine from across the Seward Seaman’s Mission’s kitchen table. In one hand he clutched some freebies he had snagged from one of the mission’s tract shelves—a world map, a key ring of English Bible verses, a little post card. With the other he paged through an old mission photo album, looking for faces he might recognize. I sensed he was looking for something else, too. A full kitchen table at the mission. “I found a little—how do you say it—pamphlet in an elevator on the ship this morning, and I think it was a sign from God.” he continued. “It talked about a woman who died and stood before God. Your name had to be in this book, or you couldn’t go to heaven. And when God opened the book,” he leaned back in his chair, “God said ‘Your name isn’t there.’” He looked like he had just heard about an incoming comet or something. “Ah, I see. That is very interesting,” I nodded. It was clear G...