It is a chilly spring morning & I am walking the sidewalks through town on my way to work. I am waving at my customers from the coffee shop that pass by me. It is crazy how I associate people with their ritual caffeine fix. I can remember that after a few weeks of working there, I became guilty of knowing their order & not their names. I never knew I could store so much information into my brain. I guess when your 22 your brain is still sharp enough to remember those details. But what really fascinates me is that with particular customers I can remember their birthday, where they work, what they love to do, & whats going on in their life. I tend to think that sometimes it is not my gift of remembering the details but because I truly love all of my customers. Even the complicated orders, like a double shot of espresso, half of a Splenda, & a tiny bit of water. Mike is his name & even though he has a complicated order I have come to find out that he is a great & faithful friend.
I have found that people love being in relationship with people who genuinely care. I have a customer who does not even seem like a customer anymore. He seems more like another grandpa to me. He even says ‘I love you’ when he hangs up from calling in his medium coffee with 3 creams & a little bit of ice to pick up at the drive thru.
You see, loving who is in front of you is so important. I desire & dream of owning a coffee shop one day not because I absolutely love coffee (which I do), but because I am so in love with people. I love knowing them. I love knowing that George served our country in the Vietnam war & loves his grandkids Nicholas (Nicky) & Sophia (Sophie) with all that is within him. All this was is learned over his cup of coffee, half caff/half decaf, Splenda, & one creamer. Sometimes a pump of french vanilla if he is feeling a bit fancy.
I seek after & pursue after my customers hearts over their daily caffeine fix because I desire relationship with people. They are my community. I do not want to even call them my ‘ministry’ because they are my friends.
I pray that the church would begin understand what true relationship & community is. Most often times people come to the coffee shop because they love the relationship that has been built with us baristas. They absolutely love the coffee, but it is something they can make at home as well. They chose to come to the coffee shop for a cup of coffee because they love the relationship that takes place. That should be what the church is like. We worship Jesus at home, but we choose to come to the church as well because we love the relationship that takes place. We give each other Jesus.
The coffee shop is my church. And although some of them may not know Jesus like I do, they will. They will know Jesus because a small, blonde hair, blue eyed girl took the time to make relationship with them & took the time to love them well. That is what the Father does & I do nothing that I do not see my Father doing first.
