Be Flexible!

Recently I communicated with my boss about coming back to work at Chick-Fil-A once again.  I am blessed to have a summer job that I can depend on with desirable hours.  My boss briefly mentioned that the more flexible I am, the more hours he can give me.  No asking for weekends off, a certain number of hours per week, or a $5 raise.  Once you think about it, the work place isn't the only time this holds true.

God asks each of us to serve Him with our lives.  For some, this means surrendering to the mission field thousands of miles away from home.  For others, it could be to raise children to be faithful to the things of God.  He calls us to service of varying degrees, but we are all asked to do something.  

But there is something standing in the way of God using us as vastly as He desires.  It's the only thing that you can give to Him that isn't His already: your will.  Surrendering this to God makes us totally open to whatever He wants for us, whether it be what we always dreamed of doing or something even better.  How flexible are you for the Lord?

I've caught myself thinking things like:

• I'd love to go to ________ as a missionary, but never _________!
• I can't miss work to be a camp counselor... doesn't God know I have a school bill to pay?
• If I served God in ________ I would never see my family!
• I sure hope God doesn't ask me to _________.

Know what I mean?  We have the tendency to put conditions on everything we do, and unfortunately this affects how we think of God and His will for us.  The simple statement my boss made rings true in our spiritual lives: the more flexible you are, the more God can use you!

The vice president of Heartland Baptist Bible College often says to the students, "God wants to use you more than you could ever imagine."  I can imagine a lot, but I know it's true.  However, if you put limits, conditions and lists on what you'll let God do with you, He will never be able to use you to the fullest.  Don't limit God... just be flexible, and He will take you on the greatest adventure of your life.

How much is God using you now?  Are you living the life you've always dreamed of?  I am!  By God's grace, I have learned that the smack-dab-center of God's will is where I find fulfillment in life.  I promise you, as soon as you let go of your will, God will start to do something incredible.  He will give you "plenty of hours" in His service!

Slow Down

Every Chick-Fil-A drive-thru has one constant aspiration: to get a hundred cars through from twelve to one.  It is a very possible, but very complex, dream.  It is complex because every aspect of the drive-thru must run seamlessly in order for a hundred cars to go through in an hour.  The cooks in the back, the bagger, order-taker, cashier, and even the customers must all work together in perfect unison to make a successful lunch hour.

Everything was going just fine until they showed up.  A 50-ish couple came crawling to the window in their beaten-up car, slouching in their seats and staring at me like they had just woken up from a four hour nap.  I quickly read their order back to them and told them the total.  The man driving just sat there for five seconds, then realized he had to pay to get his food.  Slowly he reached into his pocket for this wallet.  Slowly he began searching through papers and receipts until he came across a twenty.  This man was more lethargic than a turtle!  Slowly he handed the money to me; trying not to look impatient, I hurriedly made the transaction and waited a few seconds before I asked if they wanted any sauce.  

I glanced at the man's quiet wife.  I thought to myself, "All the other women I've seen would hurry their husbands along and nag them if they weren't fast enough.  This lady hasn't even opened her mouth!"  For all I could tell, she was just as happy as she could be with her slower-than-molasses-in-January husband.  Then it dawned on me... This couple has made it this far in their marriage by simply enjoying the ride, not seeing how fast they can get through.  Their quiet joy screamed at the fast-paced world, "Slow down!"

Everyone I've run into claims that they try to enjoy life, but how can you if you're constantly trying to see how quickly you can get from point A to point B?  This couple could care less if they took ten minutes to get their food, but they had infinitely more joy than anyone who refused to wait more than two minutes.  I'm not trying to undermine the "100 Car Goal"... I'm just saying, slow down and enjoy life.  If you find yourself in an eternal spiral of appointments, deadlines, and tight schedules, take a few minutes and let a sunset, rainbow, butterfly, or flower soak in.  Don't miss out on the beautiful things in life because you're constantly on a time crunch.  Letting the busyness of modern life get to you will make you grumpy.  Instead, take time to smile, laugh, and enjoy the journey.

Can't Complain

I always ask each customer how they're doing before I read back their order.  One of our regular customers, Don, had just come up to the window to pay for his chicken biscuit and I casually said hi and asked how he was.  He replied happily, "Can't complain -- won't do me any good!"  I nodded in agreement, finding the statement simple but profound.

How much does it benefit us when we complain?  We might get someone's sympathy, but does that make the situation any better?  Not really.  If anything, we've made it worse by dragging someone else into our pity party.  Granted, there are times when sharing our woes can be beneficial, in the case of a doctor visit or counselling session.  Usually, however, every day complaining consists of more than describing headache symptoms.  We start getting extreme with statements like, "The minute I come into work I just wanna go home," or "My life totally stinks.  I hate my life."

Think about how odd it would have been if Don, who is usually happy-go-lucky, instead replied, "How am I?  Sick, that's what.  I can't believe they made me work today."  I would have been at a loss for words!  Don could have been sick, but I would have never known it.  He knows that saying every thought that comes to our minds does not change our circumstances; it merely vocalizes that misery loves company.

Don's simple proverb inspires me to hold back when I feel like letting out a whiny whimper.  Sometimes they still slip out, but I'm working on it!  =)  I've also tried to get in the habit of encouraging whiners instead of joining their "Poor Me Club."  If you work with or hang around a complainer, listen to her (because many times girls just want to talk out their feelings), then smile, nod, and say something that will make her happy.

Consider the following imaginary conversation:
Paula: I just clocked in and I already want to leave.
Eva: Yeah?  It's been one of those days.
Paula: I don't know if I can take much more of this.  I walk in and I'm already stressed out.  I can't do this.
Eva: (makes eye contact with Paula) I know you can do this.  Just hang in there!  I'll help you if you want.
Paula: I think I'll be fine... Thanks though!

See how Eva changed the mood of the whole scenario?  If she had started complaining too, they would have both been miserable!  Instead she gave Paula a mini pep-talk and, for the time being, they were both happy!  Imagine how much better Paula must feel now.  Now she feels like somebody believes in her and will help her in any way she can.  You can help others around you get through their day, and when you're having "one of those days" yourself, they will be an encouragement to you too!

Sacrifice

Some of the best advice I've ever received was this week while working at the drive-thru window.

A regular customer came through and ordered his usual, and when he reached the window he recognized me from before I left for the school year. As several of my faithful customers had already, he said hello and asked, "Back for the summer?" I told him yes, and that I was working as much as I could until the middle of August when I would return back to college. He smiled and nodded, then commented as he left, "Those who sacrifice get the good stuff."

The good stuff? I thought about it for the rest of the day, and concluded that those words are probably some of the simplest but most meaningful that I've heard at the drive-thru. I wouldn't be surprised if the man was in the military at some point, because all soldiers are trained to sacrifice their comforts in life for a greater good. They know that great victory calls for great sacrifice. They learn by experience that freedom is not free.

God called Abraham to sacrifice the most precious person in his life: his long awaited son, Issac. Has God ever asked you to give back to Him something or someone you thought for sure God was going to let you keep all to yourself? I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God gave Tim to me out of His amazing grace and mercy, but when the opportunity cam for Tim to join GloryBound, I prayed, "But God, you gave him to me! He's mine!"

God not only made it clear that He gave Tim to me, He made it clear that He wanted me to give Tim back to Him. Yes, God brought us together... yes, it was God's will for us to be together... But it was also God's will for Tim to be away from me for extended periods of time. Was God being unfair? No, actually. God is always fair. The truth is, Tim isn't really mine; He belongs to God. God saw fit to separate us for a time to help make Tim into the man of God that I always dreamed of him becoming.

And what is the lesson I'm learning through all of this? Those who sacrifice get the good stuff. When God leads Tim off GloryBound, he will be more prepared for the ministry than he ever could have been with me clinging onto his heels, never letting him out of my sight. I will be more prepared to accept sudden hospital visits and counseling sessions without complaining that he's "always busy." Both of us will benefit from this seeming inconvenience, because when I accept this sacrifice as God's will, we will reap joy that far exceeds any tears we shed.

Where does everything we "have" come from, anyway? Everything and everyone we hold dear belongs to God. That means that God asking Abraham to sacrifice Issac was reasonable because Issac, first and foremost, was God's. Letting go of Tim two summers in a row is the hardest thing I've ever done, but don't forget, God also wanted us together! That means when college and GloryBound are over we have marriage to look forward to! God's plan is always so much better than our own, and when He asks us to sacrifice something precious to us, always remember, "Those who sacrifice get the good stuff."

The Coke Lady

It was my first week working at Chick-Fil-A, almost three years ago. A short, stout, elderly lady shuffled in and got in line at the front counter. "Uh oh, look who just walked in," said a fellow workmate. "Who?" I asked. "The coke lady," another workmate whispered. The two of them slowly began occupying themselves with other tasks so I would be the one who would have to help the dreaded customer.

The grumpy old woman ordered a medium coke and I began to fill her cup. She waved her hand and said, "No, get it from this one." She tapped the fountain that was on the complete other side of the counter! "This one tastes better," she finished. I thought to myself, They all come from the same box! But I complied and refilled her cup.

Later on that day I asked a little bit more about "The Coke Lady." Everyone described her as a miserably mean old wretch without a friend in the world. She lived alone and seemed to find her pleasure in giving the younger generation a hard time. She would comment to mothers about their misbehaving children and verbally abuse anyone who sat at "her booth" at Chick-Fil-A.

Curious, I decided to be a friend to her, instead of just a cashier. Over time she warmed up to me, then started sharing a little bit of her life story with me. I learned her name, greeted her with a big smile whenever she came, and started sitting at her booth with her and talking with her about dead-bolt locks, the restaurants in the mall, and the potholes in Oklahoma City roads.

As it turns out, she's not a mean old wretch after all. She's a very sweet lady, if you take the time to invest a little love into her. Many times the reason we have preconceived ideas about people is because we just haven't taken the time to get to know them. If there is someone you totally avoid just because you "get a bad vibe", let it go for five minutes and start a conversation with them! You might be surprised how quick you were to write someone off just because you didn't take the time to be a friend.

Don't Wish Your Life Away

It might sound cliche by now, but it's a piece of wisdom that just won't die. A customer told me this one day at the drive-thru, and it stuck with me. Don't wish your life away!

We tend to spend our lives wishing for the next birthday, car, job, and education experience. When we're kids, we want to be adults so we can stay up all night and watch movies. When we hit 15, we're dying to be 16 so we can get our driver's license. When we graduate from high school, we can't wait to go to college and be "out on our own." When we're in college, we want to hurry up and graduate so we can go back home! When we graduate, we daydream about getting a job and bringing in the bacon. When we get a job, we wish we were retired... and when we finally retire, we sit back and wonder where all those years went so quickly!

Don't be like the many who wish they had just learned to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. There's nothing wrong with looking forward to the next season of life, but if you're not enjoying every moment God gives you, you're wasting your life! At some point in your childhood you wished you were the age you are right now. What are you doing now? Wishing you were married, having children, or putting your college degree to good use?

There is another old saying that reads, "Don't waste time; that is what life is made of." Dreaming is one thing, but wishing your life away is an entirely different matter. Instead of spending today thinking about what you'd rather be doing ten years from now, live today to its fullest capacity. Use it to glorify God and enjoy it just like you imagined it when you were a child.