I grabbed a few drink napkins, walked toward their table and wondered if this worship pastor was going to prove my assumptions wrong. I cleared my throat, put on a smile and greeted the table.
“Hi, my name is Nate. Welcome to our restaurant! Can I start you guys with a soda or a beverage from the bar?” I waited in anticipation to see if they would look up from their table and look at me. It appeared that his wife and parents were at the table with him.
The worship pastor looked at my name tag, greeted me by my name and gave his order. Much to my surprise, so did the rest of his family. This could not have been right.
These Christians are actually nice?
I questioned their motives. This might be one of those tables who are “verbal tippers.” They are really great and interactive, but only to leave a small tip at the end … if I was lucky.
I filled their glasses as they talked.
I asked if they wanted any dessert, and then dropped off the check.
This is it. Will their polite manners ruin any faith I had of Christians in restaurants? Or could a pastor prove me wrong? I returned to the table to offer them change.
“No change,” the older gentleman responded. The pastor put out his hand for a handshake and said, “Thank you for your service, Nate.”
No questions from them like, “Are you a Christian?”
They didn’t assume I was a nonbeliever just because I was working on Sunday. They simply offered dignity and respect, even though the pastor never would know I knew who he was.
I quickly walked to the kitchen with a few of their empty plates and server book in hand.
The tip wasn’t two percent or even 10 percent, but closer to 20 percent. Completely unexpected.
What was important to me was that their actions matched their words. They weren’t just polite, their generosity matched their “verbal tip.” But even more than that, their actions, simple as they were, matched the Christ I kept searching for on Sundays, and saw so infrequently.
What if every human interaction was gifted with importance, dignity and respect?
How would that change the lives of those around you?
