It was really beautiful how this particular call to empower my people came about. Shad and I decided to surprise the kids and take them out to a movie and dinner on a Saturday night. It was a treat for us as we have been tightening the budget as we prepare to buy a home. Every spare penny is going towards this house purchase and we all have been feeling it. Movie night was a welcome break!
We laughed our little heads off at the movies and left with hearts full, yet with tummies empty! It was past dinner and bedtime was knocking on the door. We quickly made an executive decision to hustle through the drive through of our favorite fast food chicken place.
As we pulled up to the second window of the drive through to pay, our cheerful attendant greeted us with a red nose strapped to his face! I promise this is not a paid endorsement! He remarked with a gleam in his eye, “Your meal was paid for by the car in front of you!” What?!? Shad and I just sat there with our mouths wide open in amazement. This order was for the 4 of us. 4 adult sized meals people! It was not an inexpensive meal to pick up a tab!! Before I knew it, Shad decided to pay it forward and pay for the car behind us. Sa-weet. Gotta love that man.
The kids were actually humbled by the people that picked up our tab and we were grateful as well. It was a stretch for us that night and it was like God saying, “I’m still here and I love you.” {side not: the tab we picked up was considerably less -Bonus!}
I receive that.
The next day, when we dropped off Greanly to class at church, we recognized one of her teachers. It was the same man dawning the little red nose at the drive through the night before! We chatted with him for a bit and found that the “pay it forward” started with the car in front of us and finally stopped SEVEN cars back. He said the manager had never seen it go that long before!
SO COOL to be a part of this THING that started right in front of us and how fun it was to ride the pay it forward coaster.
Now it’s your turn….Will you start the next “pay it forward?” I wonder how far it will run?
This post is of a 31 day series called Empower Your People. You are invited to join us and empower your people.
Today’s call: Pay it Forward
Go here for the entire list of calls as well as to join the empower your people project.