I pull into the urban strip center and enter the storefront with the sign “Anchor Box Co.” I have run out of mailing bags and have come to buy a quantity supply at wholesale. This is a warehouse operation, not an air-conditioned store. Yet the young man who greets me seems genuinely happy. He even responds to grumblers with a smile. He never appears frustrated or angry, even when the line is long and patience is short. I have observed him now for more than a year.
“You have really made an impression on me,” I say. “Yours is not a particularly pleasant job, yet you always seem polite. Your customers are sometimes rude to you, yet you remain calm and controlled.” He seems genuinely taken aback. With a slight tinge of embarrassment and a smile he says quietly, “Thank you. And all the glory goes to God.” “I am not surprised to hear you say that,” I tell him. “The Lord is truly good to us, isn’t he?” “Yes,” he says humbly. “I do not know how I could make it without the Lord.”
My mind goes to Colossians 3:22-24. Work “with sincerity of heart,” Paul admonishes, “fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for people, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.” What determines how you do your work? Job demands? Daily circumstances? Other people? My new friend at Anchor Box Company shows me a better, more consistent frame of reference. He works “as for the Lord.” In doing so, he blesses everyone he encounters. And he brings honor to the Savior in an unlikely place and manner. May his uncommon attitude become common to us all.
