Hi, welcome to Cracker Barrel. My name is Pat and I’ll be your server. Can I start you off with something to drink?” And so begins your experience at your favorite sit-down restaurant, wherever it may be.
Today is National Waitstaff Day, an opportunity to recognize those men and women whose singular purpose is to wait on people all day long. Think about what they have to do for the entire day!
The good ones will wear their smile until their cheeks are numb.
Even though their feet and back hurt, they will keep their pain and exhaustion to themselves in an attempt to provide the diner with the best experience possible.
With energy, they will ask, “Can I take your order?” while jotting down every little change we make to the menu, fielding our diva requests (I want the house salad with no tomato or cucumber. Could you mix in some romaine with the iceberg lettuce and add some spinach? And I only want about half as many croutons as normal. I’d prefer swiss instead of cheddar and could you add extra bacon bits?) and doing it all while maintaining a positive attitude.
Since we couldn’t remember everything we wanted, we asked them if we could have some ketchup. When they bring it, we say, “Oh, could I have more napkins?” We might have them running back and forth like a carhop on roller skates.
After every convenience they’ve tried to supply, we cheap out on the tip because the steak wasn’t right, we didn’t get enough gravy, or some other incidental thing. Did you stop to think that the waitstaff had nothing to do with FIXING your meal? They were merely the go between for you and the chef. But they will be the ones to suffer. You are not tipping them for the FOOD. You are tipping them for their kind, thoughtful, caring SERVICE.
I love serving people, but I would think that waitstaffing would be a test of anyone’s patience and good graces. To think that they will do this day after day is phenomenal.
While we think about the waiters and waitresses of the world, let’s think about our role as waiters. Psalms 37:34 says, “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” Christians, we are God’s wait-ers. But what does it mean to wait on the Lord?
Look again at the verse. Wait…keep. Waiting doesn’t mean sitting around doing nothing. It doesn’t mean we twiddle our thumbs doing nothing. The word keep is a verb, a word of action.
The next time you go to a restaurant, after you order, spend the time watching the waitstaff. Try to figure out how many tables are the responsibility of one person. Do you see them standing around doing nothing or do you see them constantly in motion? I’ve never seen them idle. They are working while waiting on the “commands” of their tables. Depending on what is asked of them, it might change the direction of their motion but they are still in motion.
While we wait on the Lord’s commands, we keep busy. We stay attentive to His desires, fulfilling them immediately. The Psalmist makes this analogy in Psalms 123:2. “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”
As Christians, let’s always treat the waitstaff with respect and appreciation. Put good manners into practice – please, thank you, etc. Be patient – they can’t make the chef cook faster. Encourage them, especially if they look frazzled. And TIP them. Be as generous as possible. Leave a tract with the tip but only if the tip is reasonable. Giving $1 for a $50 meal is insulting. What do you think they will do with that tract?!?
And as we wait on the Lord, remember the familiar words of Isaiah 40:31. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
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