serve the servers

My Dad taught me by example at an early age that some of the best people to take notice of are people in the service industry: your janitors, cashiers, waiters, etc.

I can remember walking through the halls of the high school my dad taught at and every janitor coming up to my dad and saying hello with delight. Sure enough, there would be times when he would need to get into the locked building in the evening and somebody would go out of there way to let him in.

Well, earlier tonight I went to my favorite gourmet restaurant, Burger King, and walked to the register to give an order. I have made it a habit to stop the cashiers from the routine and say hello and see how they are doing that day.

This particular women was quite taken back by the simple gesture and told me she was having a terrible day. I threw out some words of encouragement and a few minutes later she came back with my order and included was an extra order of french fries. "Here's a little extra, I'm feeling better already."

There is a janitor at the health club I workout at and I love walking up to him and asking how he's doing. He breaks a smile everytime.

There is a muslim man that works the register at the corner shop near our flat. I've said hello to him everytime and it took almost 6 months for him to finally warm to me and now smiles and asks how I'm doing everytime. It's fantastic.

It's easy for us to forget the practical ways to serve others, but likened to ministry, people in the service industry are used to giving but receiving very little other than a small paycheck.

A simple hello and asking how they're doing goes a long way.