When my husband and I got married, one of the wedding gifts we received was a gift card to an upscale home goods store called Williams-Sonoma.
Maybe you’ve heard of it.
I had heard of it, too…but at the time, the closest brick-and-mortar store was an hour away from us…so I’d never actually been there before.
That all changed one fateful Saturday, shortly after we said “I do,” when my husband and I decided to take a trip to check it out and use our gift card.
It was a day I will never forget.
After a 60 minute trek to the big city, we arrived in the parking lot of the most grandiose mall I had seen in my entire life. 😱
As we unbuckled our seatbelts and climbed out of our little Hyundai, I felt like Dorothy Gale arriving at the Emerald City. 🤩🤩🤩
Arm in arm, we proceeded through the front doors and down the main corridor.
Everything was suddenly in technicolor and it felt like we were walking the yellow brick road.
Our jaws dropped as we passed each consecutive storefront…Gucci, Armani, and Tiffany (oh my!).
I gave my husband a look that said, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Target anymore.” 😂😂😳
Yes, it seemed as if were actually in Oz…or at least somewhere very close to it — and by the time we finally reached Williams-Sonoma, I was half-expecting to see the Wizard himself.
However, we were immediately greeted by the Wicked Witch of the West (disguised as a pretentious saleswoman) instead.
After looking us up and down, she said, “Welcome to Williams-Sonoma, have either of you been here before?”
“N-n-nooo, this is our first time,” I managed to stutter.
She then insisted on showing us around, which I later realized was sales floor lingo for “I’ll get you my pretty…and your little gift card, too.” 😂
Nevertheless, we obediently followed her as she patronizingly pointed out all of the “must-have” kitchen gadgets and gizmos — things I never even knew existed 😳.
It was like watching one of those models showcase items on The Price is Right…only, the price was so, so wrong…😳.
I did my best to hide my sticker shock with a smile…but the more we browsed, the more it became apparent that a $40 gift card was barely going to be enough for a new set of dish towels.
And that’s when she showed us…the pasta maker.
The $300 homemade pasta maker.
About halfway through her discourse on homemade noodles, my husband and I exchanged glances and I could tell he had had his fill of this saleswoman’s highfalutin mumbo-jumbo.
That’s when he threw his arms up and said, “Thanks, but I’ve got a perfectly good box of Hamburger Helper in the pantry at home.”
😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳
My face turned as red as a pair of ruby slippers.
We were finally outed for the country bumpkins we are.
I wanted to laugh, cry, and crawl under the table all at the same time…silently wishing I could just click my heels together three times and go back home.
But the saleswoman didn’t flinch — she simply peered over the rim of her Christian Dior glasses and condescendingly rebutted that only uncultured swine eat noodles from a box.
😳😳😳😤😤😤😤
Okay, okay…maybe those weren’t her exact words…but they were close 😂😂😂.
To be honest, I don’t remember what her exact words to us were, but I do remember that what she said made me feel small, insignificant, unsophisticated, and poor.
What happened next, you ask?
Well, we threw a bucket of water on her and walked away while the other customers broke into a rousing rendition of “Ding, dong, the witch is dead.” 🎶🎶🎶
I kid, I kid. 😂
We came really close to doing that, but then we remembered the whole “Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord thing. 🤷♀️ (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19-21)
So, we just paid for our dish towels and left.
And we’ve never been back since.
Not because of the steep prices. Not because of the long drive. But because of the way we were made to feel.
It’s just like Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
And I couldn’t agree more.
I couldn’t tell you exactly what that saleswoman said…but I can remember exactly how it made me feel.
It’s not just that we didn’t feel welcome — it’s that we were made to feel unwelcome.
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And sadly there’s a lot of visitors who don’t come back to worship with the Lord’s church for that very same reason.
They’ve been made to feel “unwelcome” in one way or another by the church.
But it shouldn’t be that way.
Because the Gospel is for ALL (II Peter 3:9; Mark 16:15), not just for those who are already Christians, but for anyone who might believe (Romans 1:16).
I need to remember, as a Christian who is working for God, that my behavior (both inside and outside of the church building) should not chase away His “customers,” but bring them back!
We should never use our knowledge of the truth or our position as a saved citizen of God’s kingdom to be condescending or dismissive, but in love and humility we should always remember to esteem others higher than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).
That’s the kind of love Jesus wants us to have. And that’s the kind of love that will bring people back.
So, let this serve as a reminder to us all — there’s a whole world of people out there who need Jesus. And if we don’t treat them right the first time, we may never get another shot.
After all, you know what they say, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
Until next time…
– PWAP