Amy C. Rice is a technical services and systems librarian at Whitworth University. She has been attending Nazarene churches for most of her life. As a result, she often approaches issues through a Wesleyan-Arminian perspective.
I don't think God plays favorites. There will be some people (believers and nonbelievers) who think God plays favorites, and it may seem that way sometimes.
In the past two weeks, I have learned of a death of an acquaintance, celebrated a wedding and mourned anew on the 12th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. It was really a sharp contrast: many lives taken too soon juxtaposed with the radiant joy and fellowship of celebrating the forming of a new family.