A Lesson I’ll Never Forget

God is such a Master Teacher that He has many wonderful, effective ways to get a concept across. Sometimes His instruction comes in the most unexpected places and the most unexpected ways.

God has taught me many lessons over the years, but one of the most unexpected came at a movie theater.

Sad to say, He gave me a humiliating object lesson on some ramifications of John 7:24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” or, as the New International Version has, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

Planning for pure entertainment

Several years ago I decided to go to a movie on my own. The one I wanted to see held little appeal for the rest of the family—it was The Black Stallion. I’m intrigued by horses; I like an old-fashioned, wholesome adventure story; and I like happy endings.

I treated myself to popcorn with butter, picked just the right seat in the middle of the theater, halfway back, and settled in to enjoy the next two hours of pure entertainment.

Escalating distraction

I was totally engrossed in the unfolding plot when my subconscious began signaling that I was having trouble hearing the dialog. Right at a critical point in the story, somewhere, down in front, a baby cried. I didn’t think that much about it at the time, but as the story line progressed and the action intensified, my attention was drawn more to this escalating distraction than to the escapades of a boy and a horse.

I’m reminded of a commercial that ran a few years back featuring a couple in a hotel room. Every time the man said something, a jackhammer started up—only in this case, it was wails of an unhappy infant.

Dark thoughts

Forget the movie. I was now determined to locate the source of my growing irritation. Why didn’t someone take that child out, I fumed. Peering through the darkness, I spied the culprit—a little one in its mother’s arms. Beside them sat two other children, obviously captivated by scenes of the stallion swimming for its life away from a sinking ship.

Thankfully I can’t remember all the dark thoughts I was thinking in that dark theater.

It seemed like only minutes later the credits were rolling, and I had missed a major part of the dialog and conclusion of the tale. My plans for a get-away afternoon had ended in frustration—a total waste of time.

Making my way to the aisle, I glanced back again to see the mother and her brood heading up the other side. I made a stop at the ladies’ room before exiting the theater, and who should come in but—that woman.

Stopped me cold

Wrestling down my urge to utter a comment or at least to let her know of my displeasure, I noticed something that stopped me cold.

Her two older children were happily chatting about the movie, and then one turned to face Mom, fingers moving rapidly and lips busily mouthing some words. Her fingers answered in quick response. With a sinking feeling, I realized—she was deaf.

Though the baby was still fussing, I no longer had the will to object and quickly exited, avoiding any possibility of eye contact. How ashamed I felt.

I’m grateful that the mother never knew how harshly I had judged her that day because of my being inconvenienced. Or how embarrassed I felt once I understood her circumstances.

She’s probably a grandmother by now, and I sometimes wonder if she ever takes her grandbabies to the movies. Who knows—maybe God is still using her to provide an indelible lesson to a few others. I know it is one I will never forget.

Karen Meeker and her husband, George, serve the Church of God, a Worldwide Association congregation in the St. Louis, Missouri, area.

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