Mean Christians Stink

     My 4 year old son, Silas was erupting with laughter in the back seat. What was so funny? We had asked the boys where they wanted to eat lunch after church and Cohen answered, "Stink N Shake". He had no idea why we were all laughing, but decided to join in and, for good measure, threw out another "Stink N Shake", producing another round of giggles from all of us. So, off we drove to Steak N' Shake. 
     
     We were seated and our server came out, greeted us, and Silas shared with him how Cohen had accidentally called this fine establishment "Stink N Shake".  We all, our server included, had a good laugh. He stood around and just kind of chatted with us for a while, enjoying our boys' humorous little boy ways. We got our drinks, put in our food order, and he was on his way to the kitchen. While we waited for our food, we enjoyed some good family conversation, asked Silas what he learned about in his class at church (typical 4-year old response, "Jesus"), and discussed our plans to go to the Columbus Zoo that evening to see the Christmas lights. It was an average lunchtime for us. Our server stopped by a few times to check in on us, did the drink refill thing, and each time we thanked him, maybe made a comment or two, but nothing out of the ordinary.
    
     But then, he came back to our table and said something that would haunt me for the next week and a half. What he said made me feel so angry and so frustrated, that I actually had to put off writing this blog for a few extra days just so I could count to 10 a few times, take some deep breaths, and try not to come off as a crazy angry person to all of you loyal readers of mine. Are you ready for it? Here is what he said: "I just want to thank you all for being so pleasant and so kind to me. Sunday is usually my worst day. I get a lot of customers who have just come from church and it's just ironic that it's my worst day of the week." I interpreted this to mean "A lot of other Christians come in here on Sunday and make my life miserable. Thank you for not being idiotic jerks to me." I didn't really know what to say, so I just looked into his eyes and said, "Yes, that is ironic and really sad, isn't it?" He agreed and then rushed off to get our food.


    As I sat there, I felt so bad. Please don't get me wrong- I have a bad day now and then. I get snippy with my kids and husband. I have probably given the people who work at Wal Mart in the Photo Center a dirty look or two when they tell me for the fifth time in a row that they can't find my online order (even when I pull out my phone and show them the email they just sent saying my order was ready...but I digress). But people, Jesus has set a better example and He has called us to a higher standard of living than to make some poor kid making not a whole lot of money at a food establishment think of us as hypocritical, angry people who treat others in lousy, uncaring ways. I would understand if we had gone way above and beyond the typical chit-chat with this guy that he would commend us for our kindness, but we were just being, in my estimation, normal. 


      In scripture, we find story after story showing that Jesus was a person who went out of His way to meet the needs of everyone He met. One good example of this is Mark 6:30-44. It's the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. 


³⁰ "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. ³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
 ³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things." 
     
     So, here we have Jesus and his friends who are most likely exhausted. They have not even had a chance to eat because of their pressing schedule of ministering to others' needs. Jesus  realizes this and says, "Ok guys. We need a break. We need to eat, get some rest, get refocused so we can get back out there and work some more." So they hop on a boat for a short respite from their work. They were probably all looking forward to some downtime. I can totally relate to this as a Stay-at-Home Mom. Sometimes, you just need a break. Even an hour sitting in the chair at the Dentist's office can be a rejuvenating encounter for a weary Mom (sad, but true). 


     But there is no rest for the weary. People start chasing after Jesus and the disciples. A large crowd met Him at the spot where Jesus was going to take a break. He saw their needs and He felt compassion, so He gave up His "me time" and got back to work, and in doing so performed one of His greatest miracles:feeding 5000 people with nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fish. But how did He do it? What was His attitude? Did He begrudgingly address the crowd? Did He roll His eyes and bad mouth them under His breath? Did He complain at all? Of course not. He took on the role of servant and did His Father's work on the earth. Jesus came to meet the needs of people. Jesus was pleasant with people. Jesus did not act impatient or cop an attitude with people. He was the very picture of love. We are all called to do the same.


     How does this change our Sunday lunchtimes (and our everyday lunchtimes as well)? Well, first of all, we should start by moving beyond our own petty selves as Jesus did. Instead of putting on these airs of importance and entitlement, let's be humble and generous. Next, let's try to engage the culture, not just tolerate the culture. Talk to people! Try to make someone smile! Let people know that you care-even in small ways!  Let's get out among the masses and be different, in a good way. We need to set ourselves apart from the rest and stop whining. Stop complaining. Stop being impatient and asking for the 5th time when your Chocolate shake will be out-it's coming, alright? Finally, let's try to move beyond just "acting" kind to people and actually BE kind. Let's pray that God softens our hearts toward others so that we can produce the all-important fruit of kindness. 


    We're all going to be out and about doing last minute shopping and Christmas activities during the next couple weeks. I pray that we all carry within our hearts a grace and peace that we can extend to a weary world. Let's set a good example and glorify the reputation of Christ. I pray that we can maybe even brighten someone's day with a smile, a cheerful word, or a simple act of kindness. Jesus said to His followers in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:14,"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden". Let's be that light- a beacon of hope to the world.