A Lunch Lesson In Kindness

A Lunch Lesson in Kindness

Love is patient.

1 Corinthians 13:4

I recently stopped in at a local sandwich shop for lunch. It was obvious almost immediately that someone must not have showed up for their work shift, as one young man was behind the counter taking orders and making sandwiches as quickly as possible all by himself. Everyone going through the line seemed a bit impatient and curt, even though he met each person with an apology and a smile. Most simply ignored him, looking at their phones or out the window as he tried his best to quickly fulfill their orders.

When he got to me, I gave him my order while smiling and taking the time to look him in the eye, and then as I was paying, I said, “You’re doing a really great job.” He stopped for just a moment, looked me in the eye, and said, “Thanks,” before moving on to the next person. It wasn’t much of a conversation, but it was just enough to show him that he was noticed, that I saw how hard he was working and believed he was doing his best.

It can take just a minute to notice and tell someone they are doing a good job. Oftentimes people who work in service positions are overlooked, or even ignored, as they provide assistance to others. The Bible says that one of the attributes of love is that it is patient, and patience has become a challenging trait to acquire in our fast-paced, goal-oriented world. But it is still something that God sees as valuable.

The next time you are tempted to be impatient with someone, choose instead to notice the person and how they may be trying to quickly and accurately accomplish a task. (Even if they do not seem to be hurrying, we can still practice patience!) And through our patient responses to others, we can extend kindness to them that they may not receive very often.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Take the time to notice, show patience toward, and thank someone who is serving you.