A Tale of Two Waiters

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD! Psalm 27:14

Jesus went to an inn on the outskirts of a town one day to see how his people were doing in this age. Taking a seat in the middle booth, the Lord looked out at the passing traffic.

One waiter noticed his new customer and knew who the Lord was. This waiter was a doer, and he looked down on those who didn't. "Leave reflection to mud puddles!" he would say often to those who paused to think things through. This waiter wanted very much to please the Lord and proceeded to show Jesus every plate the inn offered for the noon meal, plus a few others he tried on the spot. In his zeal to show the Lord how good he had become, this waiter only slipped once, spilling just a little tomato soup on the Lord's spotless robes of white.

Another waiter, who shared the lunchtime assignment of that particular middle booth, also noticed the Lord sitting in his booth, for he was not sure whose turn it was to serve at that moment. This waiter was one of those thinkers despised by the other. He began to reflect on what he might be called upon to serve the Master. Anxiety crept into his thinking and as he sat back observing the Lord, waiting for a sign of which dish to bring out in order to best serve his Lord, he began to ruminate on all of his past mistakes, including that time he had spilled a quantity of tomato soup on the Lord's robes.

The Lord Jesus opened his mouth to speak, and both waiters paused - one his rushing feet and the other his rushing thoughts.

"What I would like," the Lord said, "is for the both of you to come and dine with me."

Bucky