I’m a waiter at a local restaurant. Generally I’m pretty good at it, mainly from experience (I’ve been waiting tables on and off for about 9 years). I work hard, and I’m good at my job.
Today I was not. Today was like the giant came down Jack’s beanstalk and pinned me down with his thumb…then watched me squirm for 2 or 3 hours. I gave some of the worst service I can remember in my long (and largely unremarkable) career as a waiter. I won’t get into the details, but we’ll say I got a stern talking-to from one of my managers for my sorry performance, and had one very unhappy customer.
When my tables started to empty, I was just glad to be alive and still employed. I was ready give up and just go through the motions for the rest of the day, when a strange thing started to happen…I got good tips. Not just regular old 15%, but 20, 25, even 30! I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t even get the right drinks and food to my tables. One lady had the wrong drink for 10 minutes before I realized and went back to switch it. But the tips were bueno.
The way I see it, God was telling me something. I thought I was good, and I thought I earned what I have. I’ve got some decent skill at this, and I have a good attitude and something resembling a personality, so I deserve this. But today God said simply, “No, you don’t.”
He pushed me, squeezed me, pinned me. Then, when I was feeling about as bad about my work-self as I could, He blessed me. Not because I earned it at all - just because He wanted to. God is good, I am not, and I hope I never forget it.
Related: Luke 5 - “Sovereign Over All” by Matt Chandler from the Village Church.
“But here’s what happened. The message of your helplessness, your frail, useless, brokenness and the necessity of Christ - and the glory of Christ - has been replaced with, ‘You’re good, I’m good, we’re good…and the answer to our woes is feeling better about ourselves, and then attaching Jesus’ name to it.’ It’s what I’ll call, lovingly, the Cult of Self Esteem.”
———————————–
And as a public service, I’d like to make an announcement: The federal minimum hourly wage for “tipped employees” (waiters, cabbies, pizza guys) is $2.13. I don’t know about other industries, but restaurants don’t generally pay more than that (I’ve never gotten more). That means that the person serving your steak, chicken sandwich, or caesar salad is going to make about $12 from restaurant payroll today. If you get all of your food and your waiter isn’t overtly rude, 15% is a base rate. Good service deserves 20% or more. And remember that an extra 50 cents can make your server smile.
Technorati Tags: , blessing, customer, god, minimum, restaraunt, restaurant, server, tips, undeserved, wage, waiting, waitstaff
3 responses so far...
What’s the job market like for illegal immigrants out there?
Don’t get caught or you’ll get banned for two years.
Which I think is totally worth it, just to say to your friends, “you know what, I’ve literally been banned from an entire continent. what have you been doing, huh?”
Blogs4God
Now that’s an interesting day there brother.
That minimum wage sucks. You should move to Australia where you will get 5 times that amount.
Glad you saw God shine through.