Something so sweet and rare happened this weekend that brought me to tears, and I just have to share it. Our family likes to go out to restaurants sometimes, and we did so this weekend. Being at one of our favorite local spots, we knew what to expect, and all was as expected.
Until the check came.
The waiter asked if we would like anything else, and when we replied that we didn’t, he said, “The couple that was sitting across from you paid your bill.”
Stunned, we looked at the empty table, trying to recall who the couple may have been. I vaguely remembered smiling at the woman, and tried to put her face to my memory in case I should ever cross paths with her again. We peppered our waiter with questions… “REALLY? Who was it? Where did they go?”
The waiter explained, “They asked me to wait until after they left to tell you, and they wanted me to give you this.” He gave us a handwritten note:
“God’s blessings to you and your big beautiful family. It is a joy to see children so well behaved! Children are a heritage of the Lord. May the Lord continue to pour out His blessings upon you!!”
Oh, what a sweet couple! I dearly wish that we had been able to thank them in person. I can only say “thank you” here, where they likely will never see it and know how we appreciated their act of kindness and the loving heart behind it.
As I think more about it, the gift represents so much of what the Christian life should be.
Sacrificial. As a family of ten, our bill was probably five times what this couple would have been accustomed to. This was no small gesture! And yet they did it cheerfully, giving no indication whatsoever that their gift was a sacrifice.
Giving glory to God. They took no glory for themselves. Quietly making an exit before we knew. No name. No credit. No repayment. They saw to it that we wouldn’t even be able to thank them for the beautiful gesture. Instead, they gave all glory to God. Their sweet note encouraged us that we’ve been blessed by God, and that our children are a heritage of the Lord.
Several verses come to mind, but this one sums up the heart of what these beautiful people put into practice, and my guess is that they probably do it often:
Matthew 6:1-4 (ESV) “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
May we all aspire to strive to please God rather than men, storing up treasures in Heaven, rather than on earth!
What an encouragement! A few months back we were on vacation in Tennessee. A similar thing happened to our family. When the waitress came she had deserts for all the children. She told us that someone in the restaurant paid for us to have them. We were very touched by such kindness, and we had no idea who had blessed us. I felt like it was likely a christian trying to encourage us with our larger than normal family (five children). What was also encouraging is that we had just given some chip bags to some homeless people we passed driving by an intersection. We were able to share with the children how that when we give a little, God often gives back so much more. I am blessed to hear your story as it reminds me of the kindness we received a few months back.
I got teared up reading this. What a nice thing for the couple to do. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings, Heidi
I’m new here but love what I’ve seen of your blog. This was such an awesome blessing! Thanks for sharing it. Makes me want to do it the next time I see a big, godly family!