As Baby and I waited in line at a store today, the woman in front of us smiled at Joy and spoke in glowing terms of her own grandbabies. She commented that Joy was very content, and I said the Lord was kindly easing us into parenthood with a good-natured baby. She said, “Oh, you’re Christian! So am I. What church do you go to?”
My response rolled off my tongue easily enough (“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some people call us Mormons. What church do you go to?”), but I found myself tensing up inside. So many people in other Christian denominations have heard crazy rumors about Mormons, and I wondered if the mere mention of that word would affect her attitude toward us.
I didn’t get a chance to find out. Just as she said her church’s name (it was a Protestant church I hadn’t heard of), she reached the front of the line and our conversation ended. As I reflected on it, I realized the best way to handle the situation would be to just act like the Savior would: be loving, respectful, and positive. If a Christian really knows Christ, they’ll recognize him in another disciple’s behavior, and realize that they worship the same Person.
One year ago . . . Teacher on Fire
1 comment:
I feel just the same. I actually had a mommy walk away from me at a park once as we were getting acquainted and she found out I was LDS. It was really obvious. And you were a missionary . . . well, the word "Mormon" is enough to make some people want to curse you off their doorstep. I love sharing the gospel, and I know it is true, but I never expose that sacred part of myself to another for the first time without my stomach flipping. No wonder I lost weight on my mission.
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