Service With a Smile and Excellence

It’s Saturday and Mom, Karen and I meet at i-Hop for breakfast. This is our annual go-to birthday celebration place and since I’m in Tulsa town this weekend and my birthday is next week – they jump on it. I love these two women so much. They have been sources of anchoring me for so many years -- since I fell in love with Karen’s big brother and Mom’s son when I was 12. We have many precious and cherished memories together.

What makes this celebration even sweeter is this beaming waitress. Just look at her sweet shining light! This is Jacquie! Karen is taking a phone call so I roll Mom in her wheel chair to the booth. I get her settled in and take her wheelchair to a corner out of the way. When I return, this precious girl is bent over helping Mom get out of her sweater. That’s when I am first attracted to her serving beyond her call-of-duty.

I spot her almost ear-to-ear smile. I am drawn to her radiance -- her countenance. I tell her so. She graciously accepts my compliment with an even bigger smile. I'm reminded of Proverbs 15:13 "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face..." She asks if she can get us coffee and within seconds, she returns. Karen joins us and our “shining” waitress is ready to take our order. I ask: “What’s that big smile about? Is it because you love God?” And, instantly, she replies, “Oh, yes. Very, very much!” I say: “Keep shining because this world needs to see what God looks like and how He serves.”

To Mom and Karen, I say: “A blog is on its way!” And here it is for you today! Now you know what Jesus in human flesh looks like. It’s a look of joy, love and kindness. It is excellence in attitude and service. We can’t help but give her an extra good tip because she is all about “service with a smile”. She makes this little birthday celebration so pleasant with responding to our every request without delay, including allowing me to get a photo of her and her taking a photo of us.

I could go on about being a bright light to our world and if ever our world needed more smiles and service like this, it does today! How much more would we want to “bless” those who come with a heart of a servant in excellence and quality customer service? St. Francis said, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and sometimes use words." The beautiful young woman is preaching the good news every day with her happy heart and encouraging smile.

Whether in the service industry or the servant-of-God-ministry (and we should always be in the latter as devoted followers of Christ), we should always be practicing the Golden Rule -- putting ourselves in other people’s chairs and treating them the way we would want to be treated in any given situation.

Service with a smile should be more than a catchy phrase. It should be a heartfelt, everyday commitment to exit the doors of our homes as people-pleasers, people-lovers, people-servers, and people who exemplify the good works of Jesus by bearing His fruit to a world that needs role models who make a difference.

We Have a Lamp Inside Us -- Light it Up With a Smile!

I've been on both sides of a smile -- giving it and receiving it. I learned from first-hand experience the importance of a smile. I've been the "new girl", already nervous about my first day on-the-job, and a kind and warm, smiling fellow employee meets me with the biggest smile and welcome that cuts right through all those jitters. I learned from that experience, when I was the employer or a fellow employee and absolutely knew I could be the "smiling" light the new employee needed.

My pastor in Tulsa told my husband and me that whenever he looked out at the crowd, he would purposely look for us because we were affirming and embracing him through our smiles. Oh, I've been on his side, too -- looking out at the audience.... to find that smile worn by a loving and supportive listener.

Have you ever delivered a message or announcement to a group or crowd of people and did your best to overcome those mellow, icy stares or frowning faces looking back at you? You really do have to hand it to speakers, teachers, leaders, pastors, and ministers who can motivate audiences who are looking back at them with those seemingly unhappy, sullen and serious faces.

I know some folks just can't help it. They have a natural frown and they're not really unhappy. In fact, I often walk past a mirror or I see a photo that someone has taken of me that I didn't get to pose for, and I think "Donna -- be on purpose with smiling -- think about it, and SMILE!" God has something to say about smiling:

Proverbs 15:13 "A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of the heart, the spirit is crushed."

Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Psalm 34:5 "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."

Besides God's ideas, there are other good reasons to smile:
~ Smiling can make you happy (even when you're not).
~ Smiling can help you de-stress.
~ Smiling can help you land a job.
~ Smiling can lead to laughter.
~ Smiling just feels good.

This isn't profound, but I know that a smile says "In spite of my circumstances -- good or bad -- I am blessed and I win!" I'll take that! I'm smiling BIG! Let's give out smiles -- it just may be the turn-around someone needs to brighten and lighten their day and load!