I was church shopping. It can be an interesting and educating experience. I visited large churches, small churches, young churches, old churches, traditional churches, and contemporary churches. Church membership is important to me, so I don’t take lightly the task of finding the right fit.

One Sunday morning, I chose to visit a non-denominational church. I must say they made a nice initial impression. The parking lot attendants were friendly and helpful, and as I entered the church, I was greeted at the door with the customary handshake and smile. I don’t know if they knew I was visiting, but that was perfectly fine with me. I’m much more comfortable with my “slip in and slip out” approach to church visitation. Oh, the things we can learn when we quietly watch what’s going on around us. The church wasn’t small like some little country churches I’d visited, but it was far from one of the Mega Churches in the area. It looked like a relatively new building built with optimistic ideals of growth. As I looked around, I noted the furniture was up to date, and the equipment was current with the latest technology. They had an excellent video system, a nice soundboard, and a very nice sound system. They had everything needed for a contemporary worship service, not overdone or over the top. I sat quietly and observed as the members found their seats and waited for the service to begin.

There was nothing unusual or unexpected at first. The worship music at the beginning was well done, and well-rehearsed. However, when the pastor got up to do the welcome and announcements, there was a little snag. His wireless microphone went out, mid-sentence. In my world, that is what we call a Shopping Cart Test. Before I finish my story, let me tell you precisely what a Shopping Cart Test is.

A Shopping Cart Test is an unexpected event that shows who you are at the core. It’s a situation that will test your natural response to a situation without thought or measurement of your actions. It’s easy to react kindly to a kind event, and it’s easy to respond positively to a positive event. But the true test is your natural reaction to a negative event. It could be how you react behind the wheel when someone pulls out in front of you, requiring you to slam on your breaks. It could be how you react when the child sitting next to you spills his chocolate milk all over your brand new white dress shirt, or it could be how you react when you’re standing in front of your congregation and your mic goes out.

The term “Shopping Cart Test” comes from a Walmart experience my daughter and I once had. I was cruising down one of the main aisles (yes, I quite obviously had the right of way), and very unexpectedly, a shopping cart crashed into the side of mine. The woman pushing the cart looked up with the most awful, hateful expression on her face. She was just opening her mouth to say something derogatory when she realized she knew me. Correction. She actually recognized my daughter. There was a split second before we saw the realization hit her. She both physically and mentally put herself in check. She then took a deep breath and said in a measured, sugary tone, “Oh! Hi, Lorrie.” Now that I think about it, it was odd she would use my name although never being introduced to me. Honestly, it was hysterical. I shudder to think how she would have reacted to someone whose opinion of her didn’t matter to her. This woman’s natural reaction to the event showed who she indeed was as a person, and years later, we found this to be right on the mark.

I do want to take a moment here to say that this is more of a fun, playful term than anything serious. Sometimes the test comes our way, and we are affected directly, and often, we are merely observing a test being doled out to someone else. I’ve used this parable to teach both my daughters about kindness, gentleness, and how important it is to be so filled with the love of Jesus that even our reactions to the unexpected are Christ-like. It sort of caught on as a cute little expression with those who know us and has been a fun point of reference for many years.

So, let’s get back to my story about the dead microphone. Let me just say the pastor of the church had an epic fail to his Shopping Cart Test. When the mic went dead, he yanked it off his ear and threw it on the ground. As he did, he knocked over one of the worship team mic stands then stormed off the platform. I could not believe my eyes. I understand perhaps he was having a bad day, or maybe other things were going on in his life that could have caused him to overreact to the situation. But, I will never forget how uncomfortable I felt sitting there in that pew. I knew immediately that this was not the church for me. The pastor had lost my confidence in him as a Shepherd before he even opened his mouth to preach. The worship team did a couple more songs, and a few minutes later, he came back, calm as a cucumber. He preached his message with never a mention of the awkward moment before. I don’t remember one sentence of his message, but I clearly remember how terrible I felt as I left that service. I never went back.

We are not going to pass all the Shopping Cart Tests that come our way, no matter who we are at the core, but Christ does change us from the inside out. I’ve seen many people transformed simply by finding God’s amazing love. When filled with God’s love, we can do, and see, and understand things that we could not have otherwise done, seen, or understood. As we grow closer to Him, we become more like Him. Perhaps that’s why one might person might laugh in the very same situation another might get angry.

A few months later, after I’d found my new church home, my new pastor’s mic went out in the middle of the service. The situation felt strangely familiar; however, the outcome could not have been more different. As soon as his mic went out, he paused for a split second and glanced around. He got a big grin on his face when he noticed a mic sitting on the front pew used for announcements. Without missing a beat, he said, “Sweet!” He literally jumped off the platform, grabbed the mic, and finished up the service.

Becoming more like Christ is the desire of every believer, and it’s encouraging to know God has the same desire for us. The bible says God “predestined [believers] to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29). We are all works in progress; we are in a state of transformation. We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Making us Christ-like is God’s work, and He will see it through to the end (Philippians 1:6).

Wishing you joy and peace,

Lorrie