Having been a restaurant server more then four decades ago, I find that tipping hasn’t changed much, and sadly, neither has the attitude about tipping a server, even among those of us who call ourselves Christians.
Ask any server and they will tell you that Sunday is the worst day for tipping. “Church people”, they say, “hold the table longer, are more demanding, and tip the least of any group.” May I just say, “I’m sorry, Jesus. We are lousy representatives of Your character and love in this area.”
As spring is in full bloom and summer follows, and more people are lingering socially and travelling, I want to talk about this simple, inexpensive way to show love and grace.
First, the basics. If you are not inclined or cannot afford an extra 20-25% added to your sit down restaurant tab, choose a drive-up window or a restaurant that pays its employees an hourly rate more than $2.15 an hour. McDonald’s comes to mind, although I have not received compensation for mentioning them.
From another perspective, if your tab is $50 and you can’t tip a minimum of $10, chances are you would have used wisdom to save the $50 and eat at home.
For those mean-spirited, stingy (aka religious) folk who say, “I only give 10% to God. Why should I give a server more than that?”, that’s another entire topic. All giving, whether to God, or a server, is personally determined, usually beforehand, because giving is a matter of the heart…but for the purpose of this discussion, let’s be clear.
God has no money.
God does not need money because God has no needs. When you give money in an offering, you are worshiping God out of your relationship and trust in Him because He has promised that if you will be obedient and open-hearted, you will be amply rewarded. God said He loves a cheerful giver. God said that if we give to the poor, we are lending to the Lord and HE will repay. In our culture, giving to God means giving to organizations who help others, and to people who need help. The money you share doesn’t go to Heaven and get rained out over people’s homes. The money you give is used here. The heart with which you give, in obedience and compassion…that’s what is tabulated in heaven. So if your heart is only giving to God what is required, you will reap the result of your heart. The wallet isn’t the issue. The heart is the issue. And I discovered a long time ago, when the heart is willing to give more but the wallet says “There’s no more”, God will assure the wallet rises to meet the desire of the heart. Why?
Because although God has no need, He is often called on to meet the needs of others. For instance, although God has no electric bill or hungry children whose shoes are too small, your server may well be going to Him for help in those situations. God’s faithfulness to others is limited only by our faithfulness to Him, whether in our congregational offerings or our tipping.
Please, Christians, when you go out to eat, show His grace and His love and His promise for provision…to your server. Represent Jesus well. Be kind, reasonable, cheerful…with your attitude and your gratuity. People who don’t know Him can see His character and heart toward them…or not…by the way Christians behave.
How should we react with a tip when we receive less than best service? Mercy says “Give anyway” because there hasn’t been a single time in our own lives when we’ve given enough “best service” to earn the grace that Jesus shows to us every single moment of our days. Let’s not expect more perfection than we are capable of producing.
“Give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over…”
For His Glory 