(Beware. This post is a rant. You have been warned.)
The comment below just came through my Facebook newsfeed in response to this question: What are your tipping rules for tip jars at the counter, carry out orders or quick service? (Ex. Tipping a barista at a coffee shop)
Waiters, etc, maybe 5%..
.. Not because I disrespect them. GOD only asks for 10% I’m not giving you something higher or even equal.
(See the original post here: Tipping Question)
For those of you who know me well, you KNOW I had to comment back. Are you kidding me? Where does any restaurant ask for 10-15% of your income? When I was a waitress, church people said this to me a few times. It made my blood boil then…and now too.
During college, I was a restaurant manager of a very popular 24 hour restaurant. My schedule rotated every other week. The first week, I was scheduled to work nights from 5:00pm to 2:00 or 3:00am. Those were the “happy hours” when the drunken patrons closed the bars and came in for munchies. The restaurant was lively and filled with joy. The second week, I worked during the day from 7:00am to 5:00pm. It was this week I had the “pleasure” of working with the church crowd on Sunday afternoon. Without exception, every staff member DREADED the church crowd and the tension they brought with them. Not all, but the majority of the church people were demanding and impatient. They complained about having to wait for a table or the restaurant being out of chocolate cake. Instead of using their manners and politely asking for more coffee, they treated the servers like servants. Then, they would hardly tip or, better yet, leave a tract or fake million dollar bill telling how life with Jesus was worth more than millions.
Every Sunday, those Christians broke my heart with their “testimony.”
I wanted to stand up in the middle of the restaurant and give my own sermon. I could have titled it with one of these topics:
- How to REALLY exhibit the fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galations 5
- How to let your face know you just attended church (Proverbs 15:13)
- Doing unto others as you would have them do to you (Matt. 7:12)
With the exception of the times I was not in fellowship with God, I have attended church the majority of my life. I know that many Christians have great hearts. They truly want to help the others around them and be a light in the crazy world we live in. Often, that is NOT the way they portray themselves in public. If you choose to be rude and are not able to treat others with respect, then do the rest of Christians a favor. Don’t admit you are a Christian.
That reminds me of this sad joke:
Driving along a busy street, a man became aware of an impatient woman who was tailgating him. She was so close that when he had to brake to allow some children to use a pedestrian crossing, she almost crashed into him. Furious at being delayed, she sounded her horn and began waving her fists in a disgraceful exhibition of a road rage.
Before she could move off, she felt a tap on her window. It was a police officer who ordered her to step out of the car. He then asked her to come down to the station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and put in a cell. A couple of hours later, after vehicle checks had been carried out, she was told that she could collect her valuables and that she was being released without charge. The woman was extremely indignant at her arrest and demanded an apology.
The officer responsible explained the reason for the mistake. “You see, madam, I pulled up behind your car while you’re sounding your horn and loudly cursing the driver in front of you. Then I noticed the ‘Follow Jesus, Not Me’ sticker on the rear window, the ‘God Is Love’ sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the boot. Naturally, I assumed that you had stolen the car…”
Everywhere you go, you have the opportunity to bless others around you and show them the love of God. Whether it be tipping a server, encouraging a cashier who has had a bad day or even picking up trash in a parking lot, you can point others to Jesus through your actions.
Are you exhibiting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, self-control and gentleness when you are around others that you want to influence for Christ? Those are not only the characteristics that God wants to see in your life but also the ones will make others want to be to find out what being a Christian is all about.
Others are watching. Let them see your BEST!
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