Why I Almost Choked the Chicken Lady

Why I Almost Choked the Chicken Lady

This is a true story. It’s funny. But it changed my life.

Me, my wife Tammie and our three kids—when they were younger t—are getting ready to go on vacation. Tammie and I had just finished packing for us and the three kids. That’s a whole other story, in itself!

We get everyone in the car and we decide to get something to eat on our way out of town—stop at a local chicken restaurant and order something at the drive-thru.

If you’ve never done that—know it takes a whole other class on patience when you are trying to order for three kids who keep changing their minds every time the next one places their order.

So, I am trying to get the order in, and the orders keep changing.

The lady working the drive-thru is getting frustrated with me and she starts fussing at me through the speaker.

She’s upset with me because we keep changing the order. Finally, she gets so frustrated with me, she tells me to just pull up to the window.

I am thinking: Man, I can’t wait to pull up to the window. Lady, I am about to pull you out of that window!

So, now we are sitting at the window. The lady is so rude, and now she is trying to tell me how to place the order, and the kids are trying to tell me how to place the order, and I am like a rubber band that’s breaking one strand at a time and I am about to fly everywhere.

When the lady walked away from the window for a minute. Faith looks at me and says, “Dad, is that lady mean?”

I said, “Well, that’s a pretty nice way to put it. Yes, you can say that. That lady is definitely mean.”

Faith says, “Dad, why don’t you give her a Shields of Strength necklace with a scripture on it?”

I said, “Why in the heck would I do that? That’s the last thing I want to do!”

Faith said, “Well, dad, you told us when people are mean they are usually hurt.”

I said, “Why did you have to bring that up?” So, I say, “Well, ok, I’ll give her a necklace.

And I am thinking: Man, if anyone needs a necklace, it’s the other people in the restaurant with that lady.

So, I asked the lady, “How many people are in the restaurant?”

She told me there were six. So, I gave her six necklaces and another one for her. I tell her the necklaces have one of my favorite scriptures on them.

The lady in the window just breaks down. As we drive away, she is hanging out of the window from her waist up, tears rolling down her face and she kept saying over and over, “You have no idea how bad I needed that!”

I was thinking: Well, yeah, I kind of do.

But I was reminded that we are all jars of clay filled with treasure; and so many times I am so worried about the jars of clay that I forget about the treasure. I am so worried about myself and how people treat me reflects on me that I forget to love them.

Yeah, that lady changed my life—the chicken lady—and my own children.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Think about it.

Trust God’s Word no matter what.

Keep your eyes on the horizon.

If this doesn’t make sense, read my book, “The Right Fight: How To Live a Loving Life.” It’s all in there. I spent seven years writing it. It will help you set your life on a path of fruitfulness and show you how to live a loving and courageous life instead of a life driven by fear. Order the book on Amazon and at shieldsofstrength.com.