Forgiving Wal-mart

If you had asked me back in February when I started this blog whether Wal-mart would be a hot topic on my blog someday, I would have laughed. But love the big-box store or hate it, you haven't been shy about sharing your opinion.

To respond to Chris' request to see some of the email and Facebook responses to last week's post, I'm adding a sample here. I had meant to share the email I got from a close friend giving detailed advice to forgive Wal-mart. Her answer was the one that moved me the most. But not everyone encouraged breaking the ban. You'll see that there's a pretty sharp division:

• "Hey! Loved the blog. Loved the steadfastness of your walmart ban even more. Wow."
• "Just forgive Wal-mart already!" (straight from my mom's mouth when I visited her earlier this week)
• "Ha...nice blog post. A great reminder of why I never shop there."

Here's the email from my friend:

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"My advice would be to consider shopping at Walmart again as an act of forgiveness. You may want to be selective about which location you choose because I find some of the warehouse environments draining. Or you could order online. 

I have a sweet tooth and on a recent trip [to Wal-mart] a kind gentleman saw my older son point to the empty tray of samples and opened up a brand new package of brownies for us to try. The last time I was at another location, my younger son was crying in the stroller, and one of the associates asked if she could help me find something. I was looking for playing cards as part of a Father's Day gift. She said they are sometimes at the checkout counter and possibly in toys. When I made it to the toys section, I was completely surprised to find her there picking out cards to bring back and show me. 

Remember one person can truly make a difference. You never know: that person could be you when you brighten someone's day at Walmart. I imagine many of the associates would appreciate a friendly face.

Now I must confess my bias ...  My brother-in-law recently became employed with Walmart and I consider it an answer to many prayers. The job allowed him to return home after working in Iraq for more than two years. The youth pastor at my sister's church referred him for the position.

I have also had my fair share of bad experiences with retail establishments. While pregnant with my first child, a floor model rocking chair collapsed beneath me. I still get a little anxious going in another store where a large piece of furniture crashed over me and my infant son. Thankfully, he was uninjured, and I healed. My reading in Job reminds me that God is watching over us. We simply do not control our circumstances, only our responses."

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Preach it, sister! That last part about controlling only our responses pierced my heart.

I'm not sure this is about Wal-mart anymore. It's another example in a year where God has been gently reminding me -- again and again and again -- about the tough lessons He wants me to learn about forgiveness.

Feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts -- about shopping at Wal-mart or the more important work of forgiveness.