Seeing Coffee at Quick Check as an Opportunity

soccer / football at rest on a field of play

We live in a very divisive culture. It has not always been that way. My personal belief is that our political systems drive divisiveness amongst us to acquire power and money. Things like the media ---- broadcast, cable, social, podcast ---- use divisive topics to drive views, likes, advertisements, and ultimately revenue.

This has been a week of watching World Cup Football (Soccer) games. It has been refreshing to see crowds of people across multiple ethnicities, cultures, and nationalities rally around their country’s national team. Despite all the divisive tactics mentioned above, it has been refreshing ---- say even thrilling --- to see many of our international visitors see a view of America that they do not normally hear at home. They have been astonished at stores like Walmart, service stations like Bucee’s, eating establishments like Waffle House or barbeque places in Texas.

Recently after the US / Australia match, 70K fans in Seattle celebrated with John Denver’s “Country Road” song ---- which has been sung by other fans in other stadiums too.

Too often we take the simple things around us for granted. As a country we are truly blessed with natural beauty, natural resources, vast spaces, freedoms we take for granted, and how blessed we are compared to citizens in many other parts of the world.

Several other stories are also circulating about the generosity and friendliness of regular Americans. Acts of kindness and hospitality that come as naturally to us as rain on a Spring day.

Those acts of kindness are around us every day --- they just do not get the same level of notice that the media focuses on driving clicks / revenue. We are inundated with requests for donations for many worthwhile charities / NGO’s for helping others here and around the world. I always find it thrilling to see where a couple of charities are providing homes for disabled veteran’s or first responders, shelters for the homeless, food banks for families in need. During the holidays, there are many organizations providing food, clothing, and toys for the less fortunate.

You often hear of people “playing it forward” at a fast food / coffee drive through by paying for the person in the car behind them and encouraging the drive-through attendant to encourage the recipient to continue to play it forward to see how long the streak will go. I heard that the streak went to twenty at Starbuck’s one morning.

I have never shied away from the fact that I am a born-again Christian. It is who I am and what I believe. I believe God engineers “divine appointments” everyday in circumstances all around us. It may be helping an elderly person with their groceries or helping them cross a street. Opening a door for someone. Helping a homeless person with some money, warm clothes, water, hot / cold food depending on season, or medicine when they are ill.

I often try to take a five-mile walk around my neighborhood in Dallas. I live in a semi-urban area where there are a lot of homeless individuals. I have been able to develop a relationship with some --- often with a gift of water or a quick conversation. One day I saw a homeless man sitting on a bench reading his Bible during my walk. I stopped and we had a conversation. Victor was his name. We greeted each other daily afterwards. One day when he was battling a cold, I gave him some money for some cold medicine at the CVS across the street --- and watched him immediately walk to the CVS. Other days it has been conversations with other homeless people (men and women) about finding a place to shelter from the coming that night or encouraging them to stay hydrated in the heat.

Many of them just want to be respected. They all have stories. If the truth be told, it is only the grace of God that we are not in a comparable situation. We tend to walk around believing we are invincible to circumstances that would render us homeless or addicted or suffering from a mental health issue. In reality we live closer to the edge that we would like to admit.

When I lived in NJ, we often spoke about how much friendlier people were around the holidays. You could strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger in the middle of the supermarket. Too bad that same openness was not available during the rest of the year.

When I lived in Atlanta, I had a friend --- named Kelly --- who had his own landscape business. He frequently had to stop at the local labor pool to get workers for the day if he had an unusually big job. He always started his day stopping at a local Quick Check to get a cup of coffee. He made a habit of always talking to the person in line ahead / behind him as he was waiting to pay for his coffee.

The conversations took many directions. The weather was a topic. So was the local sports team’s success / failure. Most days he sincerely asked how the person was doing and often solicited a truthful response.

Kelly was a Christ follower too. Frequently the conversations became about their spiritual views and health. He would ask a significant question we all need to answer at some point: “if you died today do you believe you would go to Heaven or Hell”? The answers he got would surprise you. The question usually boils down to whether the person believed they were “good enough” to go to Heaven. Kelly was able to share his belief that the only person that had lived a “good enough” (i.e., a perfect, sin free) life was Christ --- so the bar was pretty high. Christ provided a solution to those who trusted him as Lord and Savior received (through God’s mercy and grace). That gift gave them the assurance of spending eternity in Heaven with Him. Kelly also shared what Christ (via the Holy Spirit) had done and was doing daily in his life as a Christ follower. He provided a follow-up contact or resource if they desired.

The point to all this is that we are surrounded every day by people in need or who need someone to listen to them. I like to see circumstances through the lens of “divine appointments.”  When Jesus was alive, he walked around every day and saw people with needs and took the time to talk, minister, and heal many. There were many people who followed Him around to see the miracles. I like to think that He ministered as He went. Living in the moment and responding to the needs of the people around Him.

During His ministry, Christ was asked what the greatest commandment was. His response (Matthew 22:37-39) was that the first commandment was “to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind” and the second commandment was to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

I heard a pastor say recently that the Church had lost its direction. We spend so much time being divisive about doctrine or entangled in political discussions (we all have opinions). Somehow, we have forgotten about people ----- their hurts, needs, and the need / promise of being reconciled to God.

Let’s abstract the “love your neighbor” a little bit. Can you imagine how different our society and culture would be if we also lived in the moment and responded to the people around us as we lived our lives in our communities. There are lots of ways to start simple ---- pay for the order for the person behind you in the drive through. Help an elderly person with their groceries or to cross a street. Shovel the snow of your elderly neighbor --- or mow a neighbor’s lawn.

Kelly often shared some of his stories from his week on Sunday’s. It was amazing that as others heard of his weekly encounters that they were emboldened to try something similar. Responding to the “divine appointments” became contagious.

The question for you (and all of us) is “are you seeing coffee at Quick Check as an opportunity”?

You will never know unless you get started.