Drive-Thru Difference. A local Christian radio station has
been promoting making a “drive-thru difference” by paying for the car in line
behind you. I’ve done it a few times
during my morning Starbucks stop, getting more bold as time goes on. The first couple of times, I simply paid for
it. After a few times, though, the drive-thru
worker asked if I had anything I wanted to give the car behind me. I stuttered a few moments and then muttered
something about “Tell them... ‘Have a great day.'"
The next time I was ready and asked the barista to tell the woman behind
me “I hope this is a good start to a great week.”
This morning as I drove towards Starbucks, I
thought about what I wanted to say. It’s
a brutally cold morning out there, so I quickly came up with “Hope this helps warm your morning.” This time, rather than just telling the barista, I took the time to write it out on a post-it note. I really considered adding a “—God” to the
bottom of the note, but at the last minute decided not to. What if something about that should offend
them/turn them off to the blessing I was trying to give? I handed my note to the barista who smiled and
exclaimed “How sweet! We love getting to
see the reactions on these.” I drove
away with my hot caramel apple cider feeling pretty good about the whole thing. I patted myself on the back for getting more
bold and told myself one small step at a time.
I would be even more bold next time….
That is, I felt pretty
good until I pulled in my driveway and sat in the car with my hot drink to spend some time
in Bible study. I use two, completely
unrelated devotionals each morning. The
first one this morning:
"Paul
was not ashamed because his message was the gospel of Christ, the Good
News. It had life-changing power, and it
was for everyone. When you are tempted
to be ashamed, remember what the Good News is all about. If you focus on God and on what God is doing
in the world rather than on your own inadequacy, you won’t be ashamed or
embarrassed." The study then referenced Romans 1:16
Ouch. Okay. Moving
on to the second devotional. The first
sentence in this longer, more in-depth devotional? From II Timothy 2:15:
"Be
diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to
be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth."
I then read it in the NLT:
"Work
hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth."
Ugh. As I sat and thought about it I realized… If the mention of God kept the individual
behind me from receiving a temporary blessing in their morning, then what was
the loss? The blessing I offered was
merely a temporary smile on a cold morning.
There was nothing any more permanent than that. And her reaction would’ve been her choice. On
the other hand, if the mention of God, along with my expression of His love, might
have pointed them to something deeper? Ugh. That missed blessing, of much greater import,
was my fault. My choice. Yeah…
I’ve still got some work to do! Seems the Drive-Thru Difference... just may be a difference in ME!
-jenn
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