to investing time , that reward usually comes back in the form of lives touched . That can certainly be more difficult to measure , but it is exponentially more gratifying !
As with any investment , you want to give your time wisely . Whenever I give my time to something , I want to be sure of the following :
• I ’ m maximizing that investment by giving them my very best .
• I ’ m not wasting my time on something I ’ m not especially gifted or called to do .
• I ’ m not taking up a seat that would be much better filled by someone else .
Now , it may sound strange to sift your service opportunities through such a practical , pragmatic filter , but trust me , this still leaves plenty of things for me to do . And the best part is , I can always be sure that the people and organizations I donate my time to get the very best of me !
One way I give of my time is by sending personal emails to Chick-fil-A support staff and Operators who have had a big life event , such as a death in the family or the arrival of a new child . We receive these updates as prayer requests in the Support Center , and my assistant sorts through them and makes a list of people and prayer needs for me . Then , I spend some time each week going through them , praying for them by name , and writing a personal email to them to express my condolences or congratulations . I also keep track of special days in the lives of our family and friends , such as birthdays and wedding anniversaries . I file them by date and pull a week ’ s worth out at a time . I ’ ll pray for the person and then write a note of encouragement and drop it in the mail . I ’ m always amazed by how much people appreciate these small acts . People need to know that others “ see ” them and pray for them , and simply getting a note to that effect can change the whole course of someone ’ s day !
People need to know that others “ see ” them and pray for them .
Sometimes , though , gifts of time might be less planned and more spontaneous . Those can be fun too . For instance , new neighbors moved in down the street recently . I ’ ve popped in on them a couple of times to meet them and welcome them to the area . Recently , I was driving home from my office around lunchtime , and a random thought popped into my head : Maybe I should take lunch to my new neighbors . I had already passed the nearest Chick-fil-A ( my go-to lunch option , of course !), and I was almost home . Would it be convenient to turn around and drive back to pick up some food ? No , not really . It would take an extra twenty or thirty minutes , in fact . However , I just felt like it was the neighborly thing to do , so I turned around , drove back to Chick-fil-A , bought a few meals ( yes , my family does pay for our food at Chick-fil-A !), and then drove back toward the house . The young mother and her daughter were so surprised and grateful when they saw
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