Calvary Axiom #5
I’m on a campaign to change the minds of Waffleshop waitresses…and the reputation of Christian tippers. Yep, I know it could be a challenge, but my pet peeve is Christians who pray before their meals and then leave a cheap tip. 
While enjoying my breakfast at the Waffleshop this week — feasting on the bacon — I heard these words. “Christians are the worst tippers at the Waffleshop.” The words came from the mouth of a fellow pastor, who has a daughter, who is a Waffleshop waitress. It isn’t the first time I’ve heard that message. Nobody wants to work the Sunday afternoon crowd… demanding customers and small tips.
It shouldn’t be so.
Of all the people on the face of the earth, no one should have such a reputation for generosity as those upon whom God has lavished grace. I know people like that. Don’t you? When you cross their path, 9 times out of 10, you are going to get graced. It’s not always money, sometimes they grace you with time, with wisdom, with forgiveness, or with some other kindness. They do it with a smile, sometimes a giddy smile of anticipation. Generosity feels good and always has it’s reward.
So here is Calvary Axiom #5 Generosity is never wasted.
It’s a simple phrase with a thousand corollaries like:
- Generosity is a shortcut to the heart of God.
- You are never more like God than you are when you give.
- Where your treasures are, your heart will follow.
Generosity is never wasted. In Luke 6:38 Jesus used these words,
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Generosity is never wasted. Ever. Never. I could take you to promise after promise in the Bible. I could tell you story after story of the power of generosity. Generosity is never wasted. Sometimes God uses generosity to change circumstances. Sometimes He uses it to change hearts. Sometimes the heart that needs to change is mine.
One of the reasons I love being a pastor at Calvary is that we striving to act…like we believe that axiom. We’ve had 100’s of people go on short-term mission trips, being generous with their time, their heart and their money. We support hundreds of children — many of them orphans — in the Dominican Republic, Myanmar, Rwanda, and Estonia. Last year our Christmas offering for those in need was close to $150,000. When the earthquake hit Haiti, you opened your hearts. When the cylcone hit Myanmar, you opened your hearts. You serve dozens of local families at Christmas and go out to serve the community during CityServe.
At Calvary we believe that generosity is never wasted. That’s why last week we took an offering for another local congregation in need. But do you know what I love? We can still grow in our generosity.
I’m looking forward to the day when Waffleshop waitresses can’t wait to serve the Sunday afternoon crowd.
We have avoided the WS due to the long lines after church. To be fair, the lines are non-existent on Tuesday morning at 6:15AM so maybe I’ve set the bar at the wrong place. :-) I wonder if I would tip less after waiting in a long line and a long order queue and a long preparation time… I wonder if our minimum of 17% would occur, given that others in my family told us about when they served customers at tables? Is the average 20% from normal service appropriate if the place is packed, but the waitress still treats us well? Does 25% seem like “too much” after understanding that they didn’t get another table seated due to the length of time we sat there talking over empty plates? How about saying a prayer for the waitress by name after asking them to tell us their plans in life? … and then put another dollar down because the food wasn’t really all that expensive in the first place, so we can “afford” it…
This is getting dangerously close to the Un-Christian discussion. Thanks for making me think about things from a different direction!
Thanks for this, Dan! Erika once told me “Never hesitate to be generous” (at a time when I had hesitated…) – that’s what I carry around with me and now I can add that generosity is never wasted… Thanks.