The story is told of a man who was in the Golden Corral restaurant, and had two gallons of thousand island salad dressing on him from head to toe. It happened like this:

It was an accident. The waitress was heading out of the door of the kitchen, hands full of thousand island salad dressing, when someone behind her accidentally bumped her and knocked her down. Of course, the dressing went up in the air and hit this man, pouring dressing all over him from head to toe. He got up screaming.

“You idiot! You clumsy oaf! Why did you do this to me? Here I am, wearing a brand new suit and you have embarrassed me and ruined my suit. I want to see a manager, and I want to see him now.”

Of course, the waitress was mortified, and she immediately got the manager. The manager comes out, sees the salad dressing all over the man and says, “Is there a problem?”

“A problem—look what she did! She got this all over my new suit. I want a new suit.” The manager explained that it was an accident and offered to have the suit cleaned, but the man would have none of it. “I want a new suit” as his voice gets louder and louder.” So the manager goes into his office, writes a check for $300 and buys the man a new suit.

Did I forget to mention that the man with the new suit had just come from church, and he was wearing the suit the first time for church?

Years ago, one would never find a store or a restaurant open on Sundays, and everyone would go home and cook and eat. It did not kill us—if anything, it became a great opportunity for families to get together and fellowship. Now, however, stores, restaurants and other places of business are open (because of the almighty dollar) and Christians frequent these places.

Many waitresses and waiters hate to work on Sundays, as they would like one day with their families, but they don’t get them. And unfortunately, they don’t like to work because Sundays are the day they get the fewest tips. Sadly, the very people that should be the most generous and kind, are the ones that get upset over the least things and refuse to pay these workers anything. Yes, I am talking about Christians. What happened to the idea of being like Christ and not being served, but instead serving?

I am convinced that we have often set bad examples to those in the world in just these ways, and I encourage all of us, if we go out and eat on Sundays, to remember and practice the “Golden Rule,” “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12). Think about those servers as people with eternal souls, and the example we are setting for them. Would they want to come to church with us that evening after the way we treated them at lunch? Do we know what is on their hearts—what problems they have; what needs they need to have met? Let’s put ourselves in their shoes and SERVE them by showing Christ!