When Tammy and I go out for a nice
dinner, if the service is good, I like to leave a large tip. I love to see the
look of surprise the waiter or waitress has when they see something they
weren’t expecting. But when I heard about something called Tips for Jesus, I
was the one who was surprised.
Over the last few months, an anonymous
patron has been leaving enormous tips across the United States – $5,000 in
Washington, $1,000 in San Francisco – the list goes on and on. Over the last
six months, this anonymous tipster has left over $130,000 in gratuity. And at
the bottom of each receipt, the words “Tips for Jesus” are stamped in bright
red ink.
Isn’t that amazing?
I think the mystery tipster may have
been onto something when he made an explicit link between overwhelming
generosity and the Christian faith. It’s as if he recognized the power of God’s
amazing blessings in his own life and actively sought to make that power
knowable to as many people as he could. In 2nd Corinthians, Paul
writes: “God is able to bless you
abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you
need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).
We are blessed every day by God’s mercy
and grace in ordinary and sometimes extraordinary ways. And just like this
mystery tipster realized, there will be opportunities to pass some of God’s
bounty on to others. By being channels of his blessings we join with Jesus in
reminding other the good news of God’s overwhelming love for all.
Perhaps in this next week or so you
might look for opportunities to pass on some of God’s blessings with a smile, a
helping hand or even a donation. Who knows, it might be the waiter or waitress
serving you who could use a reminder of the free grace of God with a generous
tip.
I’m Joseph Tkach, Speaking of LIFE.