This is a story that supports the importance of relationships. My wife, Janet, and I, along with our son, Jonathan, and his wife, Esther, who were visiting from England, were staying at the Holiday Inn Express in downtown Chicago. While we were eating in the breakfast room, the woman who oversees the breakfast came through and announced, “In four minutes we’ll be closing breakfast, so if you want anything, please come and get it before we start taking things and putting them away.” I grabbed her arm and asked her, “What’s your name?”
“Barbara,” she said.
I responded, “You have a nice day, Barbara, and thanks for all you do!”
A few seconds later, as Barbara disappeared around the corner, my wife said, “I think I’ll get a muffin.”
I added, “Would you get one for me, also?”
Janet went around the corner to the counter only to discover the muffins were completely gone. She politely asked Barbara, who was standing nearby, “Are there any more muffins?”
Barbara responded, “No, it looks like we’re out. We don’t restock after 9:30.”
Janet replied, “OK. Thank you, Barbara.”
Barbara turned and said, “Come with me to the supply room.”
Janet followed her around another corner in the hallway, into the supply room, and Barbara said, “How many do you want?”
The culture of the New Testament is all about relationships. And it’s all about expressing the love of Christ that shines through us, one to another. The Scripture reminds us to “speak the truth, but do it in a spirit of love.” It’s not only the right thing to do, it works.
The next day, we ran into Barbara after breakfast, we got into a conversation about her family, and had a chance to talk about Jesus. Every day, most of us have dozens of opportunities to start a conversation that goes beyond “doing business as usual” and takes on the tone of Kingdom communication. What will you talk about today? Tomorrow?