One day this past week I was watching the news on HLN and they were reporting the story of a waiter in a Las Vegas restaurant who labeled the three women he was serving as “fat.” Yes, they showed the ticket, and sure enough, right on the bill on the line where it says table, the waiter typed in “Fat ladies.”
Well, of course when the ladies got their ticket and saw that they had been labeled as fat, they were furious. In fact the three women raised such a ruckus that the waiter was put on probation and was in jeopardy of losing his job and the owner made a public apology and promised this kind of malicious thing would never happen again.
As I was reflecting on the story, I wondered what the big deal was. See, I’ve learned through our Emerging Journey that God is actually looking for “fat” people to join him in his redeeming work—yes, God is looking for men and women who are faithful, available, and teachable. Being F.A.T. is simply our response to God’s shaping work in our lives. From our Emerging Journey we have learned that we must be:
1. Faithful-Are we growing in reliability, loyalty, and trustworthiness to God and others? Whether we engage in small, unnoticed tasks, seemingly insignificant matters, are our attitudes and behavior characterized by trust and dependability. Evangelist Paul Rader once said, “God is looking for men and women on whom he can lay a burden without a thousand objections.”
2. Available—Are we increasingly open and present to God and others when needed?
When I think of being available, I think of Mary. Out of nowhere, an angel announces to Mary that she had been chosen by God to bring the Christ child in the world. And although Mary had some questions about her assignment, in the end Mary was ready and willing to be used by God saying, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.”
3. Teachable—Are we open and willing to learn? In athletics we call it coach-ability; a player will either listen and learn from the coach or he/she will stubbornly insist on their way of doing it. When I think of some who learned to be teachable, it was the Apostle Peter. Whether wanting to call down fire at inappropriate times, arguing over who was the greatest, or making proud claims about his commitment, Peter eventually learned how to walk in humility.
As far as ARC is concerned, I praise God for all the F.A.T. people I have come to appreciate. And may it be said of us that we are wholeheartedly growing in faithfulness, availability and teach-ability.
As far as the women in the news story, well, like it or not, by Webster’s definition, they were … 🙂
Grace and peace, Mik