A young woman of Asian appearance was browsing through the bargain bin at her local Christian bookstore when suddenly and rudely she was pushed aside by a 'white' woman who obviously believed her needs were more urgent and important. Assisted by a young sales assistant the woman, who looked like she had stepped out of a fashion magazine, pushed the other aside with apparently no comprehension of what she had done; and the other simply smiled at me and moved further into the shop to continue her browsing.
As she walked passed a mountain of books that proclaimed how special she was - she was a princess, she was loved, she was accepted and she was valuable - I wondered if that was how she really felt!
It's just as well God thinks so because it was pretty obvious that not all the Christians fighting for their bargains felt the same way. Maybe the problem is that one woman believed the message - she was special and she knew it! But in her self-belief she seems to have missed the point. It appears to me that 'specialness' in our context is not a given. Sure God loves and accepts, but that doesn't make me special. God wants to use me, and sometimes I let him, but that doesn't make me special either.
Some churches teach, and some people believe that 'specialness' is a right, a byproduct of membership in the church. And many Christians live their lives acting as if this specialness makes them better, more important than others. I know, I may be being very harsh on the lady in the shop, maybe she just didn't notice the other woman, the one she physically pushed aside. But that would make it even worse wouldn't it?
The paradox for me was the place in which this drama was played out. Surrounded by books calling for a priority for 'our neighbour', 10 steps to being a better person, 'how to' hear from God and numerous other pleas to know that I am special. And here in this vault of Christian teaching a person was rejected (and by her reaction of resignation it would seem that not only was it not the first time but it was no more than she was used too.
Perhaps no more obvious was the lesson for me. Believe what you like and say what you want - but your actions will always say more about your priorities.
