It happened again.
Steve and I had just finished our meal in a local restaurant when the waitress stopped by to check on us. We’ll call her Sarah.
“How was your dinner?” she asked.
“My chicken was delicious” I enthused. And then she looked to Steve.
“Well, this could have been better,” and he indicated his plate where a third of his steak remained. “It was left on the grill a little too long,” he explained. The dark, dry cast of the meat provided the undeniable evidence.
Sarah’s smile morphed into furrowed concern. “Oh, I am so sorry,” she exclaimed. “We have a new guy training on the grill tonight. He clearly let that steak overcook. Shall I have the chef fix you another?”
“No,” Steve replied. “That’s okay; I had enough.”
“Well, if you’re sure…Thank you for being so nice about it. I just took back five steaks from one table. They were not happy.”
“As a pastor for forty years, I know how people can be sometimes, forgetting their manners when they feel wronged. But this isn’t your fault,” Steve asserted.
Sarah nodded. “I’ll get your check,” she announced and dashed off.
Upon her return, Steve handed Sarah her tip in cash.
Now those of you who know Steve may guess her reaction to what she received, because he’s always been a very generous tipper. It’s part of his mission to be God’s agent, blessing other people in the name of Jesus (Matthew 25:40).
But Sarah’s response was a surprise. She began to cry. We could tell Sarah wanted to say something but she couldn’t speak for a moment.
“You don’t know what this means to me,” she choked. “I know God brought you in here tonight. It’s my fifth anniversary today for being sober, but it’s been a difficult day—not much of a celebration.
“When you said you’d been a pastor, I felt like God was saying he knows what I’ve been through. He sees the progress I’ve made. And now this.” Sarah indicated the bills in her hand as the tears continued to flow.
Now my eyes started to fill. To think: God had used us at just the right time to honor this young woman for her faith and perseverance.
“Well, you have to know,” Steve continued, “as a pastor, and Nancy here, a teacher, we didn’t make a fortune during our working years. But God has blessed us over and over and we just want to bless others—like you.”
“Thank you so much,” Sarah enthused. “I will never forget this.”
Steve and I won’t forget that encounter either. Surely as we left the restaurant our faces glowed as much as Sarah’s with the supreme joy of affirming her.
And Jesus’ beatitude that Paul quoted was proved yet again: It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
In the last few years, scientific research has confirmed those words of Jesus. Now we know that generosity:
- Lowers blood pressure
- Increases self-esteem
- Lessens depression
- Lowers stress levels
- Contributes to longer life
- Increases happiness, as the “feel-good” chemicals of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin are released.*
But that’s not all. When we give what we have, it may prove to be a treasure.
Our gift to Sarah returned a treasure to us of sublime satisfaction and euphoria—results far beyond what we expected. But Sarah’s gift of honesty and appreciation certainly blessed us beyond what she expected also.
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/539952
“Give what you have.
To someone, it may be better
than you dare to think.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-giving-is-good-for-your-health/
Art & photo credits: http://www.unsplash.com; http://www.pixfuel.com; http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.azquotes.com.
From the Inside Out 