Lastnight, I decided last minute that I wanted to go to a movie. Ok, so I hate watching movie previews so I wait until 15 minutes after the movie starts to go in. I don't like to spend more time in the theater than I possibly have to b/c well...not sure if it has to do with claustrophobia or sitting in one place for several hours at a time. Well, anyway, I found a good parking spot and just sat there for a few minutes waiting for the preview time to pass. I noticed a woman approaching my car. She's carrying a work box...ya know..one of those that has a handle in the middle and has big compartments on each side. It looked like she had a bunch of stuff from the dollar store...it looked as though some of it had been used. She barely gave an introduction before she was talking about how she fixed sweet potato bread for her mama and how her mama likes it chewy. Then she began to talk about God and started trying to witness to me. Then she tells me that she rescues dogs. She says, "And I wanna tell ya not to approach any pit bulls, but you don't look like the type that'd go fightin' pit bulls." She starts to pull objects out of her workbox: a calculator, "christian" flashcards for kids (she said), some dingy washcloths that she called "face cloths", and some other stuff. She told me this is what she does for a living, rescues dogs and witnesses to people, and that she takes donations for the stuff in her box. I politely told her I had no cash. She says, "Well, thank you for letting me witness to you." I told her that I'm "saved". Well, she talked for about 10 minutes and finally went away. I peeped around the car beside me before I got out, trying to make sure she had put a little distance between us. I didn't see her so I quietly shut my car door and walked past the SUV beside me and there she was again! This time she asks me if I work there. Note: I was wearing a jean skirt, flipflops and a very casual shirt that looked nothing like movie theater employee attire. I think she just used this as another opening line. I politely told her that I was going to watch a movie. She said, (very snippy)"Well I hope you ain't goin to watch Harry Potter...it's witchcraft." I just smiled (and I winced inside)and kept walking a little...she got in front of me. I have to admit that I've always been afraid to watch Harry Potter b/c the church has preached against it so much, it made me fearful. In truth I haven't read any of the books and have only seen a couple of the movies on TV...in private when no one was around. I kinda liked the movies I saw...and I've felt a little rebellious here lately...so I wanted to go see the new movie.
She started talking about kids and abortion. She told me she wasn't for abortion but she was ALL for sterilization..LMAO. "If those people didn't want anymore babies, they needed to be sterilized." she said. Then she proceeded to tell me how she worked in Charlotte doing a christian play for kids and something about a fat kid falling off stage or on stage...can't remember. LOL. She told me that she's been divorced twice and she supposes that she just didn't wait on the Lord.
This dragged on for another 10 minutes...and yes...I was going to go see Harry Potter. I didn't tell her though in fear that she might use one of her dingy face cloths on me. lol. Along with her "witnessing" facade, she wore a yellow t-shirt with a precious moments angel on it with a long green skirt. I'm sure she picked this costume purposely. This was just such a strange encounter.
After the movie was over, I parked further out in the parking lot by the only parking lot lamp still on and started reading a book. I read for a few minutes and put my book down. I felt as though I needed to say something to God. I asked, "Why did she have to talk to me?? You know I'm still bitter." I wanted to say more but I just didn't. Everything that lady said and did in that parking lot are some of the very reasons I have been turned off to Christianity "the religion"...as opposed to just having faith and a relationship with God. Once upon a time, I think I would have really felt compassion for that lady, but this time it was just annoyance. I'm not sure why that is...I think I'm still compassionate...I guess I have some boundaries right now that I didn't know about.
Hi, Dalilah - found your blog through HugeMD's latest post at A Hundred Down, A Hundred to Go and loved your comment there.
ReplyDeleteBeen reading through some of your posts and just wanted to let you know how much I loved this post, "contemplative": http://windingroad-dalilah.blogspot.com/2009/05/contemplative.html.
I write about faith from time to time on my blog too, and though we come at it from very different places, I think we've asked many similar questions. Thanks for sharing yours here!
If you ever feel like "letting your hair down" in email-discussion with someone with whom you can vent opinions and questions freely, no worries, no judgments, please drop me a line at anesthesioboist@gmail.com. I also don't often get to talk about faith a great deal, for different reasons, but do wish I could more often.