One order of humility, coming right up!

       One day, a woman walked into a restaurant wearing a scowl. The hostess knew the woman would be a piece of work, so she sat her in the section of the restaurant's best waiter. This waiter was very skilled and had been serving people for many years. He had many regular guests that would request him by name. The waiter had also had more than his share of difficult guests over the years, and had proved to be very good at handling those people. This particular guest would be a difficult one. The woman was very demanding and hard to please. She did not smile much and no matter how much the waiter did to stay ahead of the woman's needs, she always found something to complain about.
     The waiter started off by telling his guest about the specials. These were the prime options for the day. He had to go to a lot of effort to memorize all the details of the specials menu and the cooks would have to go to extra lengths to prepare these meals. The woman had already decided what she wanted and proceeded to order. The waiter knew that what she ordered was not great, certainly not the best thing on the menu. He politely offered a couple different options that he knew to be very enjoyable.
 He even bent down and whispered to her, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but many people have complained about the entree you ordered. But people have been raving about this other entree. No matter what you choose, though, I will be happy to serve you." At this, he straightened with a smile and a wink.
The woman replied, "I like to find out myself whether something is good or not. I tend to not follow the crowd." As if to spite the waiter for his unsolicited advice, the woman ordered a couple other items that were unhealthy choices. Managing to hide a knowing look, the waiter was happy to oblige.
       When the appetizer came out, the woman dug right in. She felt a bit guilty as she greedily scarfed down the greasy, artery-clogging mozzarella sticks, but they sure tasted good! It didn't take long, however, for them to sit heavy in her gut.
     The woman was still excited to try the main course and complained to the waiter that it took just a little too long for her meal to come out. He assured the woman that the cook was making sure that the food was just right. When the woman's food came out, she dismissed the waiter with a sniff (not even a thank you) and began to eat. She was not especially impressed, but it was not the worst meal ever.
The waiter came around and noticed that the woman was picking at her food."How did the food turn out?" he asked, knowing that that was a loaded question.
   "Well," she replied, just to give him a hard time, "the rice is undercooked and the vegetables are very bland." 
"I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything else I can get for you?"
"A chocolate milk shake. Make it to go."
"Coming right up. It looks like you're  finished with your meal. Would you like me to take your plate?"
He could barely get the words out before she glared at him and said, "No, I'm still eating."
The waiter hustled off to get the milkshake. When he returned, he could see that the woman had not taken a single bite more of her meal. She had pushed her food around the plate and was making a mess. She looked up at him as if challenging him to say something about it. 
    The woman paid her check and left a measly tip. She walked out with her milkshake, feeling unsatisfied and a bit queasy. After a few sips she tossed the milkshake in the trash. She climbed in her car and sat there in silence and misery for a few minutes. She knew that she hadn't been very friendly to the waiter, and he really was a great waiter. She knew she should have listened to his suggestions and she wished that she had let him take her plate away because it only served to remind her of her poor choice. The woman knew what she had to do.
     A week later, at about the same time, the woman returned to the restaurant. She asked for the waiter by name. Amazingly, he was happy to see her. You would never know that she had treated him so terribly. This made her feel worse but she smiled at him anyway. She was determined to make this time different. The woman greeted the waiter by name. "Hello, Joshua."
"Hello."
"I'm sorry for the way I treated you last time. I should have listened to your advice. You were right. I felt so sick after eating that junk. So tell me, what's the best thing on this menu?"
Joshua said, "I thought you'd never ask."
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    Yesterday I started my day off all wrong. I probably would have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed if it wasn't against a wall. I had a self-induced terrible day. Yesterday I decided to feast on pride and envy, but partway through I realized that I didn't like how it tasted. I sent it back to the kitchen and in return I was served a big platter of humility. It tasted much better than my first choice. That's right folks, it's a choice. I can see something I don't like, but I don't have to let it get me down. I can keep looking back at it to see if it's still going to bother me, but that's not a wise decision because it will just fuel my negative feelings.
    I walked out of church yesterday during the service. Yep, you read that correctly. I walked out and went home. I decided I didn't want to be in church. I wanted to be in a bubble of prideful stupidity, but I didn't want to affect other people with that negativity. The story above isn't how I intended to share my experience. I rarely write stories. But I do have a [God-given] knack for translating complex ideas into simple ones, and what better way to do that than through a story that everyone will understand?
    I am clearly the problematic woman in this story. You might chuckle at this, but guess what? You're probably that woman too. I went there. Believe it. Alright, alright, I will just pick on myself for now. Hopefully you got some of the message of the story anyway.
  The waiter represents God. The woman went in the restaurant with a negative attitude, so she was already at a disadvantage. When offered some good options, she declined those because she had already decided she didn't want what was good. I have options for how I act every day. God presents options such as love, submission, and humility. My options look like selfish ambition, envy, and pride.
    The woman in the story said no to God's recommendations. She wanted the things that would taste good for a little while even though they would leave her feeling rotten. Like the waiter, God is there when we call on Him. He is also behind the scenes watching and working so He can fulfill our needs before we realize them. This is what a good servant does. I often fail to appreciate those efforts because I can only taste the food in front of me. I don't know what's coming next. I don't experience the good and pleasing things because I wanted to fill my table with junk. The waiter was very considerate in offering the woman some suggestions. God knows what the results of my choices will be. He warns me away from bad choices, but I will charge on unheeded towards the things that I want. God, like the waiter, responds to my requests even if they are ridiculous. He doesn't do this in ways that will harm me but in ways that make me uncomfortable. The discomfort teaches me to heed His advice.
     Notice how the woman complained about her food taking too long. She had already enjoyed a yummy appetizer. What's her deal? I'll tell you what my deal is. The pride that I had decided to order wasn't enough, and I needed envy to feed me too. As the waiter said, the cook was just making sure the food came out cooked to perfection. The woman might have received a better meal, but because she complained, she got served too soon. How often do I try to rush God when it comes to my orders? In turn, how many times am I dissatisfied with what's on my plate because I couldn't wait for it to come to perfection?
   The waiter noticed when the woman stopped eating. She had made a mess of things but was too proud to admit she didn't want any more of what she had wanted not so long ago. God comes to me when He sees me sitting in the mess that I have made, the mess I asked for, and He asks if He can take it away. He doesn't want me to be continually reminded of my stubborn, prideful choices. I originally wanted this part of the story to be very different. The woman was going to be relieved and plead the waiter to take away the plate. However, I wanted to emphasize the way that I sometimes cling to my mess when I've actually had enough. I also wanted to emphasize the importance of humbly returning to God, apologizing to Him, and asking for His guidance.
    I spent part of my Sunday evening listening to a sermon from one of my favorite speakers, Steven Furtick. The plate of pride and envy that I had been chomping on all day was replaced with a platter of humility as I was slapped lovingly in the face with a whole lotta truth! I am ever thankful to be loved by a God who is so patient and gentle with me when I am being stupid! Thank you for reading!

Love, Shep