Month: May 2015

Grace Moments

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God’s grace is huge and full and free and overwhelming…no doubt and I am so grateful for those times when I am overcome by it.  But His grace is also dispensed in tiny, tiny moments that we can miss if we re truly alert.

I’ve been blessed with some of those lately.  A regular customer who was 75 when I left ChickFilA, and who used to drive me crazy, that I now count it a privilege to serve in his 80’s. Another regular customer who lives in his car, and always smells, but I’ve learned his name and have a tray ready when he comes in because he uses a cane now and can’t carry his coffee, creamer, and book to the table without it.  Two days ago it  was a customer shaking with pain from a month old knee replacement surgery, who had a carryout order I took to her car and got a hug for.  Yesterday an elderly homeless man with a buggy who greatly appreciated the biscuit and hot coffee I provided for him, instead of the pack of mini donuts he had for his whole day’s nutrition.

And in ALL these, I am not the one to be praised..I am the one most grateful and praising God for the fact that He chose me for those moments!

And you know what?  I am NOT special or part of some exclusive club.  HE has those moments ALL His children and HE doesn’t want ANY of us to miss any of them!  To Him be the glory!

NO substitutions!

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I had a fascinating discussion with a customer the other day that God used to answer a prayer.  The customer approached my register, ordered his meal and asked for lemonade to drink.  A few minutes later, he was back with the lemonade to complain.  “This doesn’t taste right..it’s sour.  Let me try the diet lemonade (made with Splenda) and see if it’s any sweeter.”  So I poured him a small bit of the diet in another cup, he tried it, and made an awful face, declaring, “this is too sour too!  Do you have any other kind?”

The answer, of course, was no.  We fresh squeeze our lemons, and the lemonade containers are clearly marked with their ingredients..either “lemons, water, sugar” or “water, lemons, Splenda”.  There is no prepackaged lemon stuff involved…its all from lemons just the way God made them!  So he went away with diet Coke in his hand.

After work, I was mulling over how ridiculous it was that he would turn down the real thing because he liked the fake better!  And then I realized..a struggle that I had been praying about in my own life was the same way!  I was asking God to bless what I wanted, that I really knew was not “the best” but was an acceptable (to me) 2nd choice..and I was just like my customer!  I almost insisted on the “fake” (my choice) instead of the “real”, His choice, if I was just willing to wait!

Lesson learned!  And next time YOU have a choice or decision, remember this story..and accept no substitutions!

Apologies @ $.42

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Being in customer service for a living has its ups and downs, but very few extremes either way.  Yesterday, however, was one of those.  I had a customer, who between a language barrier and a misunderstanding of her order, had a total meltdown in front of me while we were 5 deep in each line at lunch.  Finally with the help of two supervisors we were able to almost make her happy..but she was still very angry and would not even let us carry her order to her table.  Sigh.

About 30 minutes later, she approached my register and waited until I was free, and haltingly apologized and told me that she wanted to order one more thing.  So I rang up her order, took her money, and handed her the change..which she immediately waved away and said, “you keep!  I was ugly..you keep!”

She walked away while I stood there openmouthed and counted the change..it was $.42.  I thought about the fuss, my splitting headache, and the delay other customers experienced..and she was giving me $.42 to make up for it.  Now, i did appreciate the apology, especially since she didn’t have to.  Yet I was left feeling a little shortchanged in the whole process.

AND YET!  Just as I was feeling a little self-righteous about the whole thing, God stopped me in my tracks by this thought and this verse…Isaiah 64:6..which calls OUR righteousness in God’s eyes filthy rags.  In other words, any attempt on our part to apologize to God for ANY of our sin is just like that $.42…totally ineffective and a totally unrealistic of the impact of that sin!  I took a quick minute to express to my Savior once again the gratitude I have for His totally undeserved grace.  And I now have a permanent reminder for every time I feel self righteous..I’ll just remember forty-two cents!

No Looking Back!

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The past three weeks at work have been fascinating, hard, and hilarious at times.  The end of the school year brings SO many “extras” at work here.  There have been field days, field trips, contest winners, high school seniors leaving school early, honors day celebrations for the younger students, preschool graduations, you name it, we’ve had them at Chick!  And the sheer giddiness of a school year ending and summer beginning has captured the hearts of everyone, parents included.  It is a fun time and I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of it again.

However.  It is also a time, when the restaurant is crowded, to hear the inevitable phrases from those not involved – i.e. older than 30 – such as “I wish I could go back to that time” or “I wish I had enjoyed it more” or “it must be nice to feel/look/move that good”.  But that is the world’s view…not the Biblical one.  While all of us may wish we had better physical health, or hadn’t done some of the really dumb things we did in our pasts, we cannot look at the next generations and make that statement.  Because we see a narrow vision of them right now – the best one.  But the truth is  that they will have their own mistakes, fight their own battles, and face their own hurdles in this life.  They are just “fresh” right now, and not tested and tried, and while we should celebrate that for them, we should also thank the Lord that we do NOT have to repeat those years. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned, and grateful that the Lord has helped me remember them.

I have also heard the statement “I would go back if I could take with me what I know now”.  Um…no.  Because that just means we wouldn’t make the same mistakes, BUT!  We would just make new ones – because we are sinful people by nature, and we could never go back and be perfect.

So how should we approach this time?  Just the way the Apostle Paul did – “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 32:13-14)  May we all press on and live our lives to His glory!

The Power of One

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IMG_0826It’s amazing what happens at my workplace sometimes, and how God uses that in my life.  Friday was an EXTREMELY busy day, and I was trying my best to keep up, smile, get things right, and pull through.  In spite of the busyness however, I was able to occasionally have moments to talk with my customers.  I chatted with an older couple as I filled their drinks and we discovered that we had ministry in common – he is a pastor, I was a pastor’s daughter and now am a pastor’s wife.  I had a great time helping them and they left smiling and happy.  As I waited on my next customer, the husband came back in and waited for me to finish, then brought his hand from behind his back and gave me this flower!  He said his wife wanted me to have it for “being so great to them”!

If you want to know what the power of one can do, I can tell you from that personal story.  Suddenly my world was a little bit brighter, my knees a little less painful, and the next at least 10 customers got EXTRAORDINARY service because of my happiness!

And not wanting the joy to be just mine, I took it back to the kitchen to someone who does a lot of the thankless things there, and showed it to her.  She was amazed that someone cared enough for ANY of us to do that, and she too was encouraged.  She told me when I left that afternoon that it had made her day, too.

So what’s the point of this?  It is this.  Tomorrow is another day….and for all of us, it’s another opportunity to encourage each other and share God’s love.  I’ll be at church tomorrow, looking for someone who just needs something small to lift them up and keep them going.  Wherever you are, I hope you do the same.

We as Christians sometimes get bogged down in all the evil in our world, and think there’s no point in trying because it’s all going downhill.  WRONG!  We see every day now that one terriorist with a bomb, or a gun, can make a HUGE impact – in all the wrong ways.  We need to start fighting back with what we have – the love of Jesus!  One hug, one smile, one kind word – can also make a HUGE impact – and all for His glory!

Little Moments, Big Gratitude

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One of my main goals spiritually is to grow in my gratitude for everything, especially in recognizing my blessings and giving GOD the credit for them, and no one else.  I especially want to grab those little moments – moments of pure pleasure and joy – and embrace them for the gifts they are – gifts from a loving Father who delights in surprising His children.

This morning was one of those.  I am off today and the morning was gorgeous – deep blue sky, and cool temperatures.  A God-given day to ride our motorcycle, and so we took advantage and went about 45 minutes to Valdosta to eat breakfast at Denny’s.  Yum!  My favorite breakfast place, ever.

After receiving our order, we blessed the food and dug in.  And then it happened.  As I cut into the fluffiest, most beautiful pancake stuffed with plump, juicy blueberries, I realized that I had everything I could ever wish for, right then, right there.  Did I have thousands of dollars in my bank?  No.  Did I suddenly lose those 20 pounds and have a gorgeous body?  No.  Was I eating filet mignon surrounded by the rich and famous?  No.  Did I drive up to Denny’s in the most expensive car available?  Again, no.

And yet!!  My God had so carefully arranged my morning to bless me!  Having a day off during the week.  Having the money to go out to eat, in spite of having my income cut in half.  Having a retired husband who had time to take me!  Having a beautiful day to ride, and a motorcycle to ride on.  And sitting beside the love of my life, who I am still crazy about after 32 years of marriage!  A perfect little moment in my life and a perfect opportunity to worship and praise the Lord for all His goodness to me.

And tomorrow?  Tomorrow I will be back in the land of cleaning tables, washing trays, taking orders, and sweeping rugs. And you know what?  Tomorrow will also be a wonderful day, because I have the opportunity to share how God blessed me today, and to try and “pass on” a blessing to someone else!  Little moments are ours for the realizing, and I pray that God continues to show us how to grab them, and then THANK Him for them!

Breath is a Gift!

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“It’s Your breath, in our lungs, and we pour out our praise, we pour out our praise…”  Song by All Your Sons and Daughters

It all began when we moved to the house I grew up in.  Sandy and I found each other because her family lived about half a mile from us and we went to the same school.  We became fast friends and had a blast.  Riding bikes, playing outside, dolls, you name it.  Together more than not, we navigated through elementary school, jr high, and then finally high school until my family moved away.  Then when my sister and I moved back two years later, we reconnected by working at the same job.  She was at my wedding, I at hers.  And then we both moved and lost touch.

Fast forward many years and we found each other again on our high school’s 30th reunion website..what a blast we had catching up!  And then came our 50th birthday year.  Mine was in January, hers in June.  I was having very mixed emotions about the whole 50 thing, and was not particularly excited.

And then came the news.  January 6th I found out that Sandy had gone to the hospital on the 1st of December, they found a brain anuerysm, operated, and Sandy died on Dec 15th.  No watning, no clue, nothing.  She had a headache one day and was gone 2 weeks later.

I was devastated.  I was not happy about turning 50, and Sandy had died at 49.  What a perspective changer.  I vowed frim that moment on to never complain about my age, and I haven’t. I still miss her, especially at Christmas when I pull out my ornaments and see hers..she gave me my very first one as a married lady.

I say all this to say remember.  When you are having a tough time, remember that it IS His breath in our lungs, and that while we have that gift, we need to say thank you..and pour out His praise to this world!

Sandy knew Jesus and was a child of His.  I will see her again.  But until then, i continue to live my life in her honor, and for His praise!

He’s SO Big!

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This week at work we had 4 classes of 3rd graders over 2 days come in for field trip tours of our ChickFilA and they were so much fun!  The kids got to see the kitchen, watch lemons being squeezed, chicken being cooked, etc.  Keith, a young guy in our kitchen, was working on Monday and he is 6’5″.  That is impressive to a lot of adults, but especially so to eight year olds, who kept saying, “He’s SO big!”  They couldn’t get over how tall he was and how easy it was for him to reach the top shelves.  Later, as our owner was showing them the ladders that we use to access the top shelves, because our shelves go floor to ceiling and are full of supplies, he explained ladder safety and showed them where we hung them.  Whereupon one little boy said, “You don’t need a ladder…you just need a Mr. Keith!”  The whole kitchen burst into laughter, and we joked about that story all day long.

There is a great spiritual lesson in this story.  When facing certain times of want or need in our spiritual walk with the Lord, we often try to use our own “ladders”.  We think if we just pray more (one rung), add some more Bible reading (another rung), attend church more (another rung), treat people better (another rung), etc, etc, we can reach new goals, or do more for Jesus, or bring to pass something that we desire.  The only problem is we are building that ladder with faulty materials – our own strength – and it is not very sturdy!  Also, like the ladder at work, ours can only do so much.  With Keith, you have movement, reaching, stretching, and thinking above and beyond what the ladder is capable of.

Guess what?  With God, we have WAY beyond also!  Our puny little efforts might get us a little way, but not far.  But with God, ALL things are possible.  Our “and yet!” God has all power, all authority, and all ability to create us, sustain us, and lift us up to newer and greater heights than we have ever been before.  Aren’t you glad that “He’s SO big”??  I am!

A Thoughtful Gift

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My favorite 2 year old, Anderson, had his birthday party Saturday, and I was at the store trying to find just the right gift.  That may not sound like a big deal, but the toy/kid section is not where I spend a lot of time, and it can be intimidating.  Boy toys, riding toys, books, clothes….so much stuff!  And I was also trying to avoid buying anything that his family might be buying.  As I looked around, I first eliminated the “over my budget” category.  I also had the friendly box info to go buy, with recommended ages, battery info, and other details thankfully highlighted on the front of the package that helped me eliminate some more.

While making my choice, I tried to picture his face, and the look on it if he received some of them.  I wanted him to be delighted with his gift..and for it to become a favorite.  I also needed it to be safe and sturdy, so he wouldn’t get hurt and it would endure “boy treatment”!  It couldn’t be for a 1 year old, because he would be bored.  It couldn’t be for a 3-5 year old, because he wouldn’t know how to use it and it would frustrate him.  It didn’t need too many parts, because they would get lost, and it didn’t need to be too noisy because I love his parents!

Later that night, God reminded me that He answers our prayers and blesses us in much the same way.  As He listens to our prayers, He filters those requests.  He eliminates those that would harm us, frustrate us, and really won’t provide the joy that He wants us to have. He refuses those that are not in His will.  And He allows those that He knows will be a delight to us, and give us joy. Of course there are many other reasons for His answers and blessings, but I believe the process is the same.

If you are waiting on an answer, or have gotten a “no”, think about these verses – Luke 11:11-13 – and rejoice that our God loves us so much!  To Him be all the glory!

Our Persistent God

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Throughout my life I have heard stories of God’s miraculous saving of people thought long gone, and have known a few of the families or been part of churches where it happened..but I had never experienced it on a personal level until now.

There has been a member of my immediate family who has spent a lifetime of running from the Lord..as fast and as far as he could.  That running included three broken marriages and three children, two of whom are grown and one who is elementary school now.  It also included other things that running does, like alcohol and drugs.  Family events came and went, sometimes with him and/or a wife or girlfriend or children, but most of the time not.  There were many years when most of us didnt even know where he was, or what shape he was in.  But GOD did!  And He never released my mom and others from praying for him.  But the years went on and no results.

AND YET!  God in His infinite patience and love NEVER gave up on my family member!  Long after I had grown up, married and entered ministry with so much activity and so many others to pray for that I forgot about him, God was still pursuing!  And finally this family member stopped….running away….and ran to God!

Now a perfect ending would be all is well, but of course consequences can be heavy.  While he is now a child of God, heaven bound and loving Jesus, real life is still there.  His dad is 81 and suffering with dementia and will never know that his son came home..and yet!  He and his dad will mert again heaven and spend eternity “catching up”!  My family member has also now been diagnosed with cancer..very serious..but we are praying for a merciful healing.  And there’s a whole lifetime of family moments and memories he missed.

AND YET!  God won!  Another member of my family will spend the rest of his life praising God, and bringing others to Him!  And that is hope worth sharing!