The Bridezilla of Christ

I am currently addicted to the show "Drop Dead Diva" on Netflix. It's a pretty decent show and getting overly involved in the plots of fictional characters' lives has enabled me to better take a break from the chaos of my own life. David calls it "escapism"... I say, I just need a temporary brain shutdown. 

In one of the episodes, a woman who was the victim of a wedding dress sale stampede is portrayed on a magazine with an expression that appears seriously contorted in rage. When the magazine cover is turned horizontally though, the face of rage looks more like a women in intense pain. The characters sue for the injuries this woman sustained in the stampede of women, while the prosecution and media portray her as a Bridezilla who started the mad dash. 

As I have been praying about our move and this new journey of our lives, I realize that we are often the "Bridezilla of Christ." We can be selfish, greedy, mean, rude, jealous, impatient, sinful people. I remember when I first began ministry, a person in my parish called and called me - all the time! I began to get tired of the phone calls and long conversations. I began to ignore the phone calls or act like I was in a hurry whenever I did decide to take the call. Not too long after, this person passed away. I heard stories of how lonely this person had been. What was I doing that was so important that I couldn't be a good friend to this person? Was I really representing Christ in this situation? Definitely... not. Christ loves. I saw this person as annoying and persistent, when the reality was they were seeking friendship. The annoying behavior just really came from the ache of loneliness. 

Man. Insert Epic Fail soundtrack here. 

I think that is how we see one another. At first glance we may see the Bridezilla - the unattractive, annoying, maybe even jerk-ish behavior - in someone and judge them before digging a little deeper to see their wounds, the battle they fight, their aches and pains. 

Even Thomas didn't believe Jesus had risen until He touched His wounds. Sometimes I think we really have to touch someone's wounds to understand who they are. 

Who knew a show with the word "Diva" in it, could cause so many amazing spiritual insights....