I took Brooke and Audrey through the drive through of Chick-Fil-A a few days ago and as usual I found myself irritated with the world around me. The guy in the car in front of me didn't pull up when the car in front of him did and of course I sighed in exasperation. Really who would be so inconsiderate as to not pay attention to that sort of thing. Didn't he know that there were 20 cars behind him in line, some of which were probably blocking traffic because they were half way in the street? Or didn't he care? No, I was sure in my own little head that this man was very into himself, and probably didn't even care to notice the rest of the world around him. My mind came up with a thousand scenarios of how this man had to be incredibly selfish. How he probably wouldn't hold a door open for a woman with a stroller, or let an old man with one item in from of him in the check out line at Wal-Mart.
The man finally got to the window and payed and got his food. And then he did something that was straight up appalling to me. He handed the woman at the window what looked to be business cards. Are you kidding me? Seriously! Who advertises themselves in the drive through line at Chick-Fil-A? Apparently that selfish jerk! Again my mind went off on this self-absorbed idiot. I pulled up to the window, debit card in hand. The woman there handed me my drinks and then my bag of food and then said something that blew my mind.
The man in front of me had payed for my food. That's $18.00! What do you mean he payed for my food? She told me that he had covered it all and wanted me to have this card. The business card he had handed her that I was so appalled at. The card turned out to be a tract- had the whole salvation message printed on the back. Now I'll be the first to balk at a tract. I hate the stupid things most of the time. You know why? Because I've worked in the service industry- in coffee shops, restaurants, I've had my entire income depend on the tips I get day to day. And I have known of people who leave tracts that look like money as a tip! I've been given tracts by people who go to the church down the street. And just like any unbeliever would do (at least it's what I've heard) I've thrown them away. Because they mean nothing most of the time.
The unbelieving world in most circumstances does not relate to a piece of paper with a message printed on it. They just don't care what some person has decided to say that someone else decided to mass produce that someone else has decided to hand to a stranger. And even more than that they've heard it all before. Especially in the US. Most people have gone to church or known a Bible-thumping Christian who has preached the Good News at them.
But you know what they haven't heard before? That the guy in the car in front of them payed for their meal. That the kids in the parking lot at Garden of the Gods want to give them FREE bottled water. That the church 3 blocks down is having a free movie night for kids, complete with free pizza, popcorn, drinks and games and prizes. That the youth group from the church in the neighborhood wants to mow their lawn for no pay.
It almost makes me tear up to think about it- because I've seen all of this. And this is the way we engage a dying world. We have to take them by surprise. We have to be different. We have to be something they haven't seen or heard before. Then they might listen, might read the tract, might visit the church, might give this Jesus a chance.
I read that tract. I wasn't sure what it was at first. And it touched me. If I hadn't been a believer, it would have at least made me think a little bit differently about this Jesus. For a little while I was proud to associate myself with another Christian.
Somehow I forgot about how he hadn't been paying attention to the cars in front of him and hadn't pulled up right away. Somehow I forgot that I was the most important person in line and that he was irritating me. Somehow I forgot what a rude selfish person he must be. I was too overwhelmed with how much Jesus loves me and the rest of the world. I was too impressed by what the man in front of me at Chick-Fil-A had done.
