Something New at the Drive Thru

Something new at the McBlah-blah drive thru.

I saw the sign from the distance and thought, “No big.”

I wasn’t close enough to read it yet so I thought…

Anyone?

Yep.

Ice Cream machine is down.

Nope.

And by the time I was close enough read the sign,

I was in the middle of a line of cars

With no cash

And Thomas losing his mind in the passenger seat

And the line is sloooooow.

Good news. The card reader was fixed by the time I placed my order

Bad news. It took me 34 minutes to get from start of line to two fries and a soda acquisition.

More Bad News. The lady in the grey Astro Van in the order lane next to me crowded in front of me in the zipper protocol.

Civilization was crumbling.

When I arrived at the cashier window (still in my vehicle), the 16 & 1/2 year old young lady slumped against the window frame looked like she had been…oh…I don’t know…yelled at by several dozen people waiting in a long drive thru line.

As she held the card reader thru the window, I told her, “You’re doing a good job.”

She stopped. She met my gaze.

I tapped my card. I smiled, “Thanks for being here for us today.”

Then I pulled ahead and waited behind the lady in the grey Astro Van who crowded in front of me in the zipper protocol.

Apparently she was only ordered a soda.

There are many things out of my control: autism and the McBlah-blah drive thru are just a small percentage of the total number.

I was irritated.

I was irritated

…because of the “cash only sign”

…because the drive thru line was slooooow

…because the lady crowded in the zipper protocol

But the card reader WAS working.

And the lady in the grey Astro van who crowded in front of my in the zipper protocol only ordered a soda.

SHE must have been REALLY irritated!

I could control my interaction with the young lady at the cashier window who was probably having a bad day through no fault of her own.

WHEN (not if) the opportunity arises to be the light of Jesus, will you choose to shine?

“Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.”

Philippians 2:14-18

The Message