Leaving tips

I went to lunch with my sister today. We went to a Chinese restaurant. One of my favorite things to do when I go to a restaurant is to observe and how they treat the waiters. This is a test for me. I read a book once in college called the Book of Virtues by Bill Bennett, one of my favorite people on this planet. Every parent in America should buy this book and read it to their children. Check, every PERSON should buy this book. It's filled with so many great stories and life lessons. In the book he made an observation that has stuck with me for many years. He said you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat people they don't have to be nice to. He said it's easy to be nice to people you want something from; spouse, parents, boss, children, etc. But being nice to someone that you don't have to be nice to, like waiters and flight attendants and janitors is hard. Bennett said that's how you gain the measure of a person.

Every time I go to a restaurant I observe this and it never fails that I gain a tremendous amount of insight into people by how they treat waiters and waitresses. I know a person whose philosophy is that he puts a whole bunch of money on the table when he sits down. Every time he feels the service is lacking, he takes a bill away. It's his signal to the waiter that he better step up his service or he won't have a tip. I know a person that HAS to find something wrong with the order. The food is too cold, too hot, too raw, too cooked, etc. I think they just get off on the power over these people. And let me tell you, these are two people that I admire greatly, until we got into the restaurant. Does this make them bad people? No, absolutely not. But it does give you a glimpse at who they are.

Jesus tells us the same thing. He said blessed are the meek for they inherit the earth. Sometimes we are flying so high that we forget the people below us. I'ts easy to be nice when you have to be nice; but being nice when we don't have to be, that's the real test. It speaks about self abasement and humility. It speaks about self control and patience. All virtues that every Christian should strive for. People ask me, but what if you get horrible service? What do you do then? I leave a big tip. Makes them think twice about giving bad service to the next person. Kill them with love.