Queen Victoria

If you are a regular blog reader, you probably realize that the Victoria Osteen trial is a bit of news that I could never pass up. As a matter of fact, this post is a real test of my grace-o-meter. First, I realize that I do not know all the facts, but then I consider the other fact that I do not work for Fox News, so there is no need to be fair and balanced. I then ponder how criticism helps anyone, yet I also believe that a good dose of, “wake up, church” is often in order. Decisions, decisions…

I think, in the interest of innocent until proven guilty and “Do not judge”, we should just stick to what we DO know for sure, ok? Let’s look at what BOTH parties agree on.

After Mrs. Osteen discovered a stain on the armrest of her first class seat, she alerted the flight attendants to it and was handed some napkins to remove it. After being handed the napkins, Victoria looked at the flight attendant and said, “It’s not my job.”

I have this little game I play with myself when I get that uneasy feeling in my gut about a church or a well-publicized ministry but do not want to judge. I imagine Mother Teresa’s reaction to being there or seeing it. I used to do it with my own church with the IMAG and fancy décor and deluxe children’s theater. In my mind’s eye, I would always see Mother Teresa not scolding us for those things, but turning and saying, “Tell me what you do outside this facility.”

For Victoria to declare, “It’s not my job,” tells us a lot about her, doesn’t it? Imagine Mother Teresa in the same situation.

When we claim to be followers of Christ, there is always the pesky problem of His words, you know? What if Jesus really meant the things He said – wouldn’t that be something? For instance:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)

The flight attendant is claiming that she has anxiety, hemorrhoids and loss of faith as a result of her encounter with Victoria. I do not know about the physical ailments, but loss of faith I’m inclined to believe. Imagine what would have happened inside the flight attendant’s heart if beautiful, successful, on-TV Mrs. Osteen had taken the napkins and bent down to scrub her armrest in an effort to make the flight attendant’s life a little easier. One small humble and serving gesture would have changed the course of both their lives.