Wednesday At Rick's

One of the things I look forward t0 is going out Wednesday night with friends from church. We have our normal hangout, Rick's Roadhouse, which has fine barbeque and pitchers of beer for 9 bucks. It's a good time and it's much needed to get us through humpday so to speak. The stress of everyday life takes a toll on all of us and getting out for a simple pleasure like a night at the tavern brings much needed relief.
What occurred to me yesterday was just how much I appreciate being served. Even though our server has a job and is getting paid, it still is nice how he looks out for us and makes sure our evening is a pleasant experience. For the past few weeks we have had the same guy serving us. I am trying to remember his name, I think he told us, but it escapes me right now. The servers wear nametags but they have these cool nicknames on them rather than who they actually are. That's fine, and it does give me an excuse for not recalling a name since I don't get a visual reminder of who he is each time he brings us some additional peanuts or another pitcher of "Lucky Cat."
Well, last night I thought of how easy it is to take for granted the simple things in life that give us pleasure. And more specifically I thought of how God uses people on so many levels to bring us even the most mundane, simple pleasures in this often abrupt and sometimes even hostile world. This is when I became convicted of how little I pay attention to people who enter my world. Somehow I have decided (and I'm probably not the only one guilty of this) that they are just incidental creatures who pop into my visual lens from time to time, and then somehow vanish into thin air. They exist for a moment to fill my needs and then when they exit, well, then they no longer exist.
But you know what? Those same people I have concluded are out there to serve me, well, these same folks are unique valuable creatures, created in the image of God. Not only that, but God, in the person of Jesus Christ, came to serve these very people. Christ labored tirelessly to develop relationships and minister to the same people who I each week take advantage of to meet my needs. This is a convicting thing and one that leads me to ponder the importance of prayer. Too often I think we treat prayer the same way we talk about staying in touch or "I'll write" when we know of a friend who is moving away. Sure we mean well, and we intend to, but do we really follow up? I know of the value of prayer, at least in theory, but too often I find myself guilty of practical atheism. While I say that I can't cultivate a really concerned heart for my neighbor, co-worker, boss, bartender...whoever I have regular contact with, do I really go to God earnestly and ask Him to give me a desire, an urgency to know and care about the needs of others? If God is really great and I don't seek Him out diligently in order for Him to change me into a more sensitive loving servant to bring glory to Him, aren't I somehow saying I really don't believe you can change me God?
One question that was asked by our server last night was this. Where do you guys come from each week? We told him we came from church. I then asked him does he go to church and when was the last time he went to church? After confessing that the last time he went was years ago after the death of a grandparent, I felt an uncomfortable uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.
And now as I finish this blog I really understand the debth of that uneasiness. Do I really care about the man who serves me beer each week? Can I follow up like Jesus and show him the value of his earthy existence and the future of his soul apart from a relationship with Christ? Many other questions cross my mind, but the most important was is this. Will I play lip service and dismiss him with a "I'll pray for him and about this matter" yet ignor the debth, responsibility, labor, and humility that requires.
I am a sinner, too often a selfish man who forgets the great blessings God has given to me and continues to give me, morning by morning new mercies I see as the old hymn beautifully expresses. May this blog remain fresh in my mind and the love of Christ as well while more and more people cross my visual path each day. And when they exit, may I remember that they are still just as real and in need of God's love as when they may be serving me or meeting my needs.