Dear Friend
Last week I had the honor of opening a new
Chick-Filet-A franchise with prayer. I have been asked to
perform numerous different activities in my life of
pastoring, but this was the first time I have ever offered prayer for the
opening of a business, and for me it was an event I won't quickly forget.
I love Chick-fil-A, and I am a friend of the owner who is a part
of a men’s spiritual leadership class in which I am involved, and as a result
my friend asked me to offer prayer as they opened on their first day
of business.
It was a wonderful experience. Jean and I had the opportunity to
meet representatives from the corporate office, another successful Chick-fil-A
owner, and some trainers who had been brought in to help oversee employees on
their first day of service. We toured the giant kitchen and witnessed the
amazing display of bright and shiny equipment that helps make Chick-fil- A such
an enormous restaurant success. We even came back later in the
afternoon to be the last car through the line as they closed out
their soft opening. And of course, we enjoyed a couple of free chicken
sandwiches, a drink, and some famous waffle fries. Who said a pastor wasn’t
worthy of his hire?
A few days later Jean and I planned to go through the
drive through again, however, at the last minute we opted for a change in
plans, and we drove right on by in favor of one of those giant Costco hot
dogs. Hard to beat the price- $ 1.79 for a giant dog and a drink. But that
is only part of the story. Yes, I do find it hard to pass up a bargain
like that, but the reason we drove right past Chick-fil-A was
the length of the drive through line which completely
circled the restaurant and extended another 50 yards below the
entrance. We had planned to come for lunch, but we weren’t ready to
wait in line for what might have been our dinner.
What's the reason for Chick-fil-A’s amazing following? There
are many. They have great food-hard to pass up their hot waffle fries, chicken
sandwich, and delicious Chick-fil-A sauce, but there is more to it than that.
There are other restaurants that provide good food and are not as
successful.
Beyond good food, they provide employee scholarships to college
and universities, employees enjoy a day of rest on Sundays, a day the
restaurant is always closed, and workers learn valuable management
skills that can lead to lifelong personal growth opportunities. But to me the
most important reason for their success is their customer service. Employees
don’t work very long at a Chick-fil-A without wearing a smile on their face, a
genuine desire to love people, and a servant spirit that is always looking for
ways to do more than one might reasonably expect.
No, this is not meant to be a commercial for Chick-fil-A, but
simply a statement of a philosophy that, if practiced, would not only make
restaurants more successful, but more importantly would make our a world a
better place in which to live.
You and I as believers are called to model the spirit of Jesus. A
sacrificial Savior requires sacrificial servants involved in
sacrificial ministry, the kind of people who are always on the
lookout for ways to serve and make life better for others.
Someone once asked, "How do you know if you are this kind of
servant?" The answer was easy. "By the way you respond when you
are treated like one."
As servants of the greatest Servant who ever lived, we
should recognize and exercise our servant role. As Jesus
reminded his disciples. "When you have done everything you were
told to do, (you) should say, we are unprofitable servants; we have only
done our duty" (Luke 17:10).
How will you and I respond today and every day when we are treated
as servants?
Yours in faith and friendship,
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