An encouraging word goes a long way!

Ever get into a rut? I’m not even typing in the negative sense of the term… but rather a steady routine of sun-up to sun-down. A routine that lends itself to one wondering if they are still making a difference… still being influential.

I have the privilege of being a director for Operator Dean Sandbo. It’s a fantastic place to serve. Though we are not perfect, the place is alive with people who love to love people, and who love to work hard, and strive to be innovative and creative. Business is good!

But on an individual level, sometimes you don’t know if you are still making an impact… still being influential… even though inside, you feel you are giving 110%.

I feel called to be a Chick-fil-A operator one day. I very much believe that God has called me to fill that position when it is His time for me to do so. But as many of you know, the journey can be long and tiresome… and you need that “spark” of encouragement from time to time.

A couple days ago, that “spark” called me over to himself. He was an older man who had stopped in for lunch, and he said these words to me, “You held the door for me and greeted me warmly when I entered the restaurant, and all while I ate lunch, I watched you. I watched when you had your break, and I watched as the kids (my team members) came around to talk to you at your table. That tells me you are a good manager.”

WOW! A simple man with a simple word. But it spoke volumes of encouragement to me. I am not the perfect leader… no one really is the perfect leader. But I trust that one day, when it’s all said and done… that people will say that I was faithful to what I was called to do, and that they felt truly loved when I was around them. It is genuinely my heartbeat.

To you, sir, Mr. Spark of encouragement… Thank you! Thank you for taking the time to breathe into existence words that give me energy and spirit to keep on keeping on!