Saturday, October 22, 2011
Chick-fil-A Monotony: A Lesson Learned While Wiping Tables
I grumble. If I don't grumble verbally, then I have a unhappy heart.
I tend to be pessimistic about life and think, "Man, why do things have to be this way" instead of "Wow, I'm lucky things are this way."
Here is an example. A lot of times I murmur about going to work. Just so you all know, I'm not a big fan of working at Chick-fil-A. In fact, I don't like it very much at all. The only reason I think I like it is because of all the incredible people that work with me. They make it worth it. But, the fast food industry is the last thing I was to be involved in. So, before I head out for work, I inwardly groan. I don't want to ring up yet another #2 with provolone cheese. I allow myself wallow in this and wish for something else.
Great things happen when God gets your attention. Great things! I was wiping down tables - a monotonous task - and I felt the Lord speak to me. I realized something that made me instantly grateful. It was about noon and I was tired. God spoke to me right as I began to feel restless. For no apparent reason, I began thinking about soup kitchens and all the hungry people lined up for a little to eat. That thought brought me to the sky-high unemployed percentage.
It was a very humbling thought.
Suddenly, I was very happy to wipe down the tables.
You know? My whole perspective changed. I didn't have a murmuring attitude any more. In fact, I can honestly say that I was happier to serve the customers than normal. I saw my job, my life, and where God has placed me in a whole new light. It's a blessing and an opportunity to be there and work. God forbid that I should look on these incredible blessings with disdain and believe that I have been ripped off. Too often I forget that children (young ones) in third world countries are hunched over in factories and punished if they have to go to the bathroom. I forget that some people have to steal to eat. I forget that many people in the USA have been laid off and can't find work.
How can I justify a spirit of ungratefulness?
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Man, I guess I can't.
Right then, I decided to embrace the monotony of Chick-fil-A. Embrace the fact that I work for raving fans, handle money, and make sweet tea. I decided that if I can't be happy and serve the Lord with thankfulness here at Chick-fil-A, then I will not be grateful anywhere else. See, true "happiness" and gratefulness must come out of heart of faith and satisfaction in Christ and a spirit of contentment with His plans for us.
So, is the problem Chick-fil-A or my heart?
My heart. Most definitely.
Whats the solution for that? Not 100% sure about that question, but I can make an educated guess. Probably total submersion in the scriptures for a while. Reading about our Daddy can sure make us appreciate Him and His all-knowing plans.
Resolution: Serve Chick-fil-A customers with a happy heart and a cheerful attitude. Treat the job as a blessing and an opportunity. Not some sort of punishment.
So, whatever you do, whether you eat, drink, sleep, wipe tables, do school, help out in your church, take out the trash or wash your face...do ALL OF IT for the glory of our God in heaven. (1Corinthians 10:31 AJV)
SIDE NOTE: God is humorous. I wrote this post in two sittings. Right before I wrote the second half, I checked my email and received my Chick-fil-A schedule. I work 34.5 hours (I normally work about 24). He is putting me to the test. I'll let you all know how it goes. Pray for me; most likely I'll be struggling to keep up with school.
*thumbs up*
Now, be gone! And wipeth tables while thou doth wear a grin as thy visage.
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5 comments:
just wait till i order a spicy delux on wheat with provalone, switch meat, add bacon, well done on the bacon with a medum fry well done, and a small cup of icecream with 4 servings of cookies, blended. :P sorry i jsut had to, but that does make a good sandwitch. man that makes me really wish i worked at your CFA, im only getting 3 hours this week :( if you need me to take any and you can talk your boss into it i would love to releave a few of your hours for ya lol any ways sorry for the long post, but, yes your attitude is determined by you, you can chuse to be thinkfull and happily serve guests or not. but if you chuse to be happy, it makes the time much more enjoyabe... so i have no clue where im going with this so ill quit typeing lol sorry
Ashley, I really love this blog post. It's SO true! I hate the feeling I get when I complain about work. We need to be grateful for EVERYTHING we have in life, including our jobs. People need to be more aware of all the blessing they truly have.
Great post. :)
Hey friend! I really enjoy reading your posts! Thanks for being real. Oh, btw, does "AJV" stand for ashley jones version? Just wondering ;)
It's workers like you, Ashley (at Chick-Fil-A, I'm talking about), that make Chick-Fil-A worth eating at. :)
It's like you said, sometimes we may think we are unfortunate with what we have, or believe we deserved more than that.
But as true as this may be, and it sounds very true when you think of people way less "deserving" than yourself but who have a way better "share" of life's goodies, it's always nice to look at the other side of the coin. What about the people who have way less than we have, many of which are likely much more "deserving" than we ourselves are?
We should not waste our time complaining, we should be thankful for whatever it is that life has given us, and take it with the enthusiasm to make ourselves and those around us happier with it.
That doesn't mean of course that we must just sit down and passively go through life in whatever condition we were brought into it, God gives us the power of choice and of making things happen by our own will and hands, and we should use that power to pursue as good a life as we can.
The world is vast and way out of our reach, even the richest man on earth owns but a fraction of our planet, and that planet is just a fraction of our solar system, which is just a pathetic little fraction of our galaxy, which is just one of billions of galaxies in our universe, which, as far as we know, could very well also be just one of billions of similar universes around the Cosmos.
As powerful as a man may become, his power will never be able to reach his biggest ambitions. No human will ever be able to own even 1/1000000000 of the world, let alone all of it, so, if we can't learn to find satisfaction and happiness in whatever little we can manage to get, we will never find satisfaction and happiness at all.
Thank you for remind us of this simple truth, which we so often allow to escape our minds, but which might as well be the first condition into achieving true wisdom and happiness, the first and most difficult step towards eternal life.
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