“…choose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
“What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or for restoration.” G.K. Beale
On September 8, 93-year-old Truett Cathy, founder and servant leader of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, passed away. As I read about Mr. Cathy’s life, I thought how he is a man who resembled what he revered — Jesus Christ, who came not to be served but to serve.
By word and deed, Mr. Cathy lived what he believed:
- teaching that Christian principles made the best business ethics.
- closing his restaurants on Sundays so that his employees could rest.
- leading his foundation in donating over 68 million dollars for leadership development, foster care, and college scholarships.
My favorite story of Mr. Cathy’s servant heart comes from an interaction with my son, who is now employed by Chick-fil-A in their corporate office. (And yes, I’m a mom, so of course my favorite involves my son:-)!
He was invited to visit by a colleague he had met while working on an initiative to bring CFA to his college campus (College kids need their Chick-fil-A biscuits to get them going every morning:-)!
Mr. Cathy happened to be in his office, the place he fondly called the “Tree House,” because it sits high among the trees and has floor to ceiling glass windows.
I never got to meet Mr. Cathy personally, but I enjoyed some great milkshakes sitting next to his statue!
My son’s colleague introduced them, and said, “Kirby has applied for a job here.”
Mr. Cathy, much to my son’s surprise, warmly responded, “That’s wonderful! I look forward to working for you!”
Kirby did a double-take for two reasons — first — he knew the Chairman and CEO of the corporation would not be involved in his hiring…
And second, what an oddly wonderful thing to say — “working for you” — not “with you,” but “for.” Truett Cathy’s humility and devotion to service was reflected even in his language.
I don’t want to glorify Mr. Cathy, and I doubt he would want me to either. But stories like his encourage me in my faith, and we all need to hear such stories.
By all accounts, he was a man who resembled what he revered. He worshipped Christ, the Son of Man who came not to be served, but to serve. He chose each day whom he would serve, and the gospel transformed him. What he believed permeated his life, in thought, word, and deed. The gospel (not to mention those yummy sandwiches:-) perfumed the air with a fragrant aroma that compels me and others to live a life of worship that spills over into service.
