On one of the very few rainy days during our recent vacation, Monica and I decided to have lunch at the Applebee’s in West Branch. We were seated at a high-top table just inside the door, given a couple menus, and asked if we wanted any beverages. After the waitress left we noticed the couple on the table next to us. They were about our age. She was wearing a colorful bandana headpiece.
Shortly thereafter the woman left the table and headed out the door. She had noticed a small boy’s baseball cap lying in the doorway and was pursuing the individual she presumed to be the owner. While she was gone their food was delivered. His meal was one of the largest bacon cheeseburgers I have ever seen (I think they call it the “Whole Lotta Bacon Burger”). I commented to him, “That looks very tasty.” He replied with a smile, “I think it’s probably two meals for me.” I chuckled, and said, “I totally agree.”
She returned and placed the cap near the hostess station, having been unsuccessful in her attempt. Her headpiece reminded me of the friends we had who used to live at Houghton Lake and came to West Branch for chemo treatments. Thinking that they appeared to be a friendly couple, I asked her, “Are you, by chance, in West Branch receiving cancer treatments?”
After they left I said to Monica, “Do you think that it may have been a little bold of me to ask if she was undergoing chemotherapy?” Monica quickly replied, “Not just a LITTLE BIT bold!” Sometimes the questions in my mind end up slipping out of my mouth. But I jump ahead.
The lady seemed to be generally pleased that I asked. “Yes, we come regularly from Tawas City,” she said. “He (I have forgotten their names) is my driver, and then I treat him to lunch here.” And from there an incredible conversation transpired between the lady and Monica. She, too, had connections with Frankenmuth and they both knew a variety of mutual people. They were Christians, and she is on a wide variety of prayer chains – it sounded like those chains run across the state.
As they rose to leave, we assured them of our prayers. They thanked us and were gone. We anticipate that we will never see them again (on this earth). Though our follow-up conversation did include the discussion on boldness, it primarily was about what a great visit we had with them … and how God was at work in it all.
There is much talk these days about how evil … unchristian … the world is becoming. Some Christians even seem to be taking a “circle the wagons” mentality as if Christ and his Church will die if they don’t “hold on for dear life”. However, my (odd) mind asks, “As Christians, which holiday do we celebrate, June 25th or the Fourth Thursday in November … and why?”
You likely know that the Fourth Thursday in November in our National Day of Thanksgiving (I know that its not an official church holiday). In our schools we talk about the pilgrims and the Native Americans gathering together for a harvest meal, each sharing customs and foods of their culture. In this setting of shared commonalities, the pilgrims were able also to share their faith in the Triune God.
The other date is one that I had to look up. And it occurred over 200 years after that first Thanksgiving. June 25 (1876) is the date of Custer’s Last Stand! Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and other American soldiers were in Montana basically seeking to destroy (genocide is the term) the Native Americans who were seen as threatening the “innocent white settlers” who were moving in. Along with knowing how well his “circle the wagons” strategy worked, I believe we also realize how wrong (unchristian) the overall strategy was. Afterwards, General Custer’s wife initiated a national campaign to recognize her husband as a bold martyr for the American way.
However I see true boldness to be emulated in the first Thanksgiving. That we be bold in seeking commonalities with all we meet. That we be bold in caring for one another. That we be bold in giving thanks to God and sharing our Christian faith. Of course, it won’t always work out as nicely as it did for us at Applebee’s … our son Joel can tell you a story of me boldly suggesting an additional tattoo to a waitress and my words of apology that followed … but being bold is about not only taking a risk but also knowing how to handle our failures when we blow it.
And I remain convinced that most of the people we meet welcome a genuine Christian caring word (I believe the statistics on depression and loneliness support me here), and that if we start there with every person we meet, each of us can make a difference in our world. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you … For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord … rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” (2 Timothy 1.6-8)
Of course, finding the right place to start takes keen observation, diligent listening, prayer, AND OUR LORD’S INTERVENTION … even when having lunch at Applebee’s.
Applebee’s