Recently at church I heard one of our pastors talking about how Christians sometimes develop bad reputations in restaurants because of our behavior. He pointed out that what should be a great opportunity to do good is all too often lost.
I agree.
I knew a woman who is a Christian and was a server in a restaurant (back when they were called “waitresses”). She said she hated working Sundays, not just because she sometimes had to miss church, but also because of how some Christians acted when they came from church. Sometimes she would get tracks (small, cartoonish booklets with Christian messages) instead of tips. If you think that’s a good idea then let’s see how you would feel if your boss chose to short your pay and instead gave you a book to make up the difference.
Sometimes this former server would get lectured on how she should not be working on Sundays by people who were at her tables eating in a restaurant on Sundays.
Do people who act like that even read the Bible? Either eat out on Sunday or don’t, but you shouldn’t hold others to a different standard than you choose to live by.
We Christians are supposed to be loving. We could at least try being nice. Tip generously or stay home.
Recently, I have started writing encouraging messages on my bills in restaurants–simple stuff like “God loves you.” Even this small gesture, though, is not without its complications. One time I wanted to write “Jesus loves you” on my receipt, but my server was named “Jesus” (pronounced “Hay-Zeus”). I got confused and ended up writing nothing.
Life gets complicated, huh?
We just need to keep praying and trying to do the right things.