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Serving Servers
In the summer of 2004, I decided that I should start earning money to help pay for bills and college tuition. Plus, I felt it’d be nice to have a little extra spending money. A friend of mine was waiting tables at a local rustic restaurant and offered that he could get me a job. I didn’t desire too much commitment or responsibility, nor did I have much food service experience, so I started as a busboy. It wasn’t unusual for new employees to get a week or so of training, but it was unusual that I didn’t aspire beyond that. I was 21, and the other busboys were 16 and 15. Anyway, in learning the trade of cleaning up messes, I was often surprised by how messy some customers would leave their table. Once the table was cleared, new guests could be seated and waited on. In essence, I was the server of servers.
After a month or two, my friend convinced me that I’d make better money and have more flexibility as a waiter, so I trained for about a week. There’s an amazing amount of work and preparation that goes on behind the scenes before you even start the polished service presentation. After a while, I got the knack of literally flipping cornbread through the air and figuratively juggling several tables. Having worked as a busboy, I tried to help them as best as I could by pre-bussing my tables. I knew what a network of support they offered us. While some of the servers were dismissive of them, I was able to still appreciate their efforts.
The next year, I left the job for greener pastures, but I left it with a better understanding of food service. Having walked a mile in the shoes of those servants who bring us food and clean up after us, I appreciate them more greatly than I did before. I attempt to show them love by making their jobs easier and showing them grace. This is a roundabout way of saying that by investing our time in serving those around us, we gain the insight to understand and love them as God calls us to. We gain the ability to love, connect, feed, and motivate in imitation of Christ.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” – Philippians 2:5-7
Thank you so much for sharing the Word with your experience, Marchant.
It’s a concrete example of what it means to understand Jesus’ heart of service and what it means to follow Him in humility. I look forward to serving at CCC with you and Faye.
It definitely gives us a wider perspective to have served in various positions!
I’m reading a book right now entitled, “Caring Enough to Lead” by Leonard Pellicer. He writes about how important it is for a school leader to never forget what it means to be a teacher. This book has been the perfect compliment (for me) to our study on the importance of each and every part of the church body. God’s timing is amazing!
Serving those who serve. This seems to me like a wheel. I help you, you help me, together we can involve others and help more.
I love to see people smile. Sometimes it is a simple hug, a conversation, pat on the back, or a huge favor. Whatever the case, we all need help. When we take a step back we can see a lot of needs both big and small that we can help with. Jump in and see what happens. By working together, regardless of our position, we will all get further. God loves a cheerful giver.
Let’s remember what Alan told us, God shows up when his people are serving. Serving him or each other. I was God around as much as possible.
I WANT God around as much as possible.
Jesus is not only the server, He is the meal – thoroughly consumed for us.
Lord Jesus, your mercies are beyond my ability to adequately thank you. Thank you.
Marchant, I can fully understand you feelings on the service industry. I spend 7 years between cooking, bussing tables, and washing dishes. In those positions it becomes easy to dislike the customer, and appreciate the server. However, I have found I become more critical of my servers and my customer service in general. I have been “there” so I expect what I know can be done. I consider myself a good customer, but I get irritated when I do not get good service.
That’s not being Christ-like. It seems that even when I do know the requirements of serving, I should never be a critical customer. Can I serve those who serve me…yes I can. I appreciate the reminder that we can serve God in our actions at all times, even to those who are giving us service.
back to the canoe, you serve me and I’ll serve you.
I want to do something for God’s kingdom; so I keep praying for Him to use me. What if I stopped asking God to use me for His glory, and I just started to serve people around me? What if I opened my eyes, to see the need in front of me? What if listened with my ears to hear the pain in someone’s voice? What if I let my feet take me to places where hurting people are? What if I used my hands to help? If I did all these things wouldn’t people see Jesus? Wouldn’t that be something?
Thanks Marchant. Being a “blues-busting” host/busboy at Bennigan’s in high school and college, I can certainly appreciate your restaurant “service” stories. (I’m referring to Bennigan’s cheesy commercials back in the ’80s about “busting people’s blues away”…for those that didn’t catch that reference…and most probably didn’t!)
What I didn’t really appreciate or recognize, until reading your devotional, was what God was probably teaching me at the time…and how those lessons did or didn’t help direct my attitude towards serving those He put in my life – some that seemed more random (the other servers, cooks, etc.) than others (the customers).
Again, my prayer is that God opens my heart and mind to seeing and understanding and appreciating the opportunties to serve those in my life, no matter how seemingly random or purposeful. Really, my prayer is that my “lenses” of judgement, self, signficance, and hiearchy are replaced by His lense of love…so that they see Him and not me.
Lastly, I think there’s something in all of this that I can learn more about in being served…how someone’s service to me is received in a gracious, humble, loving manner, so that Christ is seen and not me. Hmmmmm….
Marchant, I only did one summer of fast food work. However I did put in my time as a nurses aid before becoming a nurse. You are right if you have done the job below you, you have a new appriciation for the those you lead later. I am thankful that Christ came to earth and lived as I have lived tempted in all the same ways I have been. He truely understands what I am going through. He is a servant that I want to be.
i was humbled today by sitting with and talking to a great corporate leader. I listened intently as she demonstrated her keen understanding to exercise and model a servant’s heart as a key component of her effective leadership. Great leaders are great servants. History has proven this over and over again. Jesus life was the essence of this.
Thanks, Jesus, for coming to serve and modeling the greatest leadership. Help me, Lord.
Thanks, Marchant… your thoughts are good for this pastor to ruminate on.
But whaaaa? Beningans and blues bustin’? Doug.. the 80′s scare me and so do you!!!
God has blessed me with an amazing servant leader.
Great focus on serving this week.
I wanted to add that most good leaders/”rulers” are ones who have a heart of servanthood. If you keep the heart of one who serves, it not only helps you lead by example but it also helps you stay in touch with the people who you are leading to make the best decision. It also helps you avoid the pitfall of pride that can bring down many leaders.
I like your point James, and your devotion as well Marchant. I was a waitress for almost a year and seem to appreciate more a waiter’s strides to make sure I am satisfied with my visit.
Then: Friends and I would put a stack of $1 bills (about 10) on the table. For everytime we thought service was bad, they forgot something, ‘ignored’ us, etc. we would take a dollar away! HOW HORRIBLE IS THAT, RIGHT?
Now: If I can clearly see my waiter has 4-5 tables, I am patient. If my waiter doesnt come and see me every once in awhile, thats ok I am sure a simple request for an extra side of ranch can be handled by a less busy waiter. If, my waiter has a bit of an attitude, thats ok..I like to make people laugh..I’ll give ‘em a joke. There’s a point. I promise.
If Jesus did not walk the world and experience everything as we have. Would we trust Him a little differently? If a teacher had never stepped foot into a classroom after high school, would we not question their ability to teach us AP Statistics?
My point is this. Just as a waiter has their customers in mind to serve and make sure everything is ok, so too did Jesus have us (ALL OF US then and now) in mind when serving in the world. In John 17 Jesus is praying for all of us. v. 15 says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” My gosh how Jesus loved his Fater and was obedient to his Father. We must remember that it is by Christ’s love for us that we were saved. Christ has called us (disciples=students=followers) to obey and serve just as He did. Brothers and sisters, what good is our knowledge of Him if we do not share it with others?
PS-I am in noooo way perfect when it comes to serving..sometimes I have that “only when its convenient for me” kind of thing (im getting better at it though). I was more or less talking to myself in that last dissertation of mine!