By Mary Hughes, Inspire Contributor
Sitting at a restaurant with my co-workers, the subject of tipping came up as our bill arrived. There were 13 of us and we weren't quite sure whether we should tip based on the total before tax, or after tax, on a bill so large. The general consensus was, on a large amount, tips should based on the food total before tax, so that's what we did.
As we were talking about restaurants and tipping, my friend, Karen, shared a story with us about something that had recently happened to her. Karen, her husband, Mark, and their four young children, were eating dinner at a restaurant in Branson not long after Christmas.
An older man was waiting on their table; his manner was most courteous and efficient. But what Karen quickly noticed, was what happened after the waiter left their table. As he walked away, she could tell that he was bone-weary. His shoulders would droop and it looked like all the starch had gone out of him. When he came back to their table, he would drop the tiredness like a dirty rag and wait on them with renewed personality and vigor.
During all of this, Karen would think to herself, "Lord, I wish we could leave him a really nice tip. He's an older man and he looks so tired, yet he's trying so hard."
When their meal was finished, Karen was getting Jack, their baby, out of his high chair when Mark came back from paying their tab at the register. He placed a $20 bill on the table for the waiter.
Karen looked up at him and said, "God put that on your heart, didn't He! I was thinking the same thing, wanting to tell you, but I didn't. But God put it on your heart, too!"
She though it was wonderful that they were thinking the same thing and that Mark actually acted on it. It was a moment and a tip that God had inspired.
She added that, through the years, she couldn't always remember each time Mark had brought her roses, but she could vividly remember the time that he tipped the waiter $20. To her, it was better than roses.
And there's not a bouquet in the world that can top it.
Mary Hughes lives and works in the St. Louis area with her husband and two daughters.
She loves to write true stories from friends and family that inspire and encourage others in their walk with the Lord, and writes her own monthly newsletter, Christian Potpourri.