So I made this lady cry at work yesterday…
Hopefully you know me well enough to know it’s not because I
yelled at her or told her she was ordering chicken wrong. I don’t really have
that kind of personality like at all. Here’s what happened:
It was later in the evening, maybe like 8:30, and this lady
in her mid-50s to early 60s came into the restaurant. I had sent everyone on
cleaning projects to get us working on closing down the store, so I went over
to take her order. I noticed that she was wearing all black but she looked very
nice and put together so I didn’t really think anything of it. Nothing really
unusual happened while she was ordering. She ordered a couple sandwiches and
asked me if there was anything that would hold over until tomorrow, so I
recommended our Spicy Southwest Salad (but this isn’t sponsored) since we
refrigerate it anyway. The rest of the transaction went just as any other one
would have.
After her sandwiches came up, I went to go give her the food
she ordered. When I walked over to her, she didn’t say anything. She was just
standing there nodding her head with her lips pressed together like she was
trying to hold back something. I asked her if she was okay and she just broke
down. Right there in the middle of the store. She told me her mom was in
hospice and things were not looking good for her. Then she just came in for a
hug and held me and told me how she was having the worst day and I was so nice
to her and made her feel special. I told her I was very sorry for what she
going through. She tried to tip me a couple dollars and I told her that we are
not supposed to accept tips but that I appreciated the gesture. She kept
insisting and finally I told her I would take it. This lady was just trying to
show her generosity and I wasn’t going to throw her money back at her and tell
her no. Especially after the kind of day she had. Then she took her food and
left.
I literally stood there speechless trying to process this
strange but super personal interaction I had just had with this lady. I had to
walk in the back and compose myself for a second (I’m a sympathetic crier so
this was kind of hard for me to keep it together). This wasn’t the first time
this had happened to me either. Last month, I sat with a lady that came in with
her kids who had a breakdown because her husband had been gone for almost a
week working on the power lines after the hurricane hit and she was just
exhausted. Yes, she made me want to cry too…
Everyone has heard phrases like “be sure to smile at
everyone because you don’t know what they are going through”. But like really,
you have no idea. And why people feel like they can be vulnerable with this
chick who just took their order at a restaurant, I’m not sure. In both cases, I
wasn’t intending to know things about the personal lives of these women. I noticed
they looked upset and asked if they were okay. I try to pray every day that
Christ’s love would radiate out of me and that people would be able to see that
He has made me into a different person. When situations like this happen, I
totally believe it’s because they see that. Christ has given me a desire to
love those who need it and be there for the broken hearted. In fact, He calls
all of us to do that. Sometimes we are too busy to notice those people though.
All they want is for someone to see their hurt and offer help.
I know that working at Chick-fil-a is not the most glamorous
job. (I mean I do rock the mess out of my picnic blanket shirt.) But it does
put me in contact with so many people I would never run into if I didn’t work
there. And honestly, that’s what Chick-fil-a’s mission is. At the end of the
day, it’s not about how many sandwiches we sold. It’s about using food as a
tool to bring people in and make connections with them. (Maybe I should be
sponsored by Chick-fil-a for this.) But that’s how you should see your job or
your classes at school too. Yes, it is about making money to pay the bills or
making the grades to graduate and get a good job. But it’s also about putting
yourself out in the world so you can get to know people and radiate Jesus. It
might be kind of scary sometimes and not always the most fun. But people just
need to know that someone cares enough to ask.
PS. I would also ask that you keep Mrs. Sam (the lady I met
last night) and her family in your prayers. I don’t know if I will ever see or
hear from her again but I know she would appreciate the thought!
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