The waitress at Waffle House was shuffling duties between the cash register, drink machine, and customers' tables. Yet, in the midst of all the hustle with only two employees serving a house half full, my friend and I chose to affirm her hard work with a generous tip; we simply placed our "yes" on the table for her performance.
The waiter at Cracker Barrel told us all about his bicycle remodeling project as he scurried from table to table delivering chicken and dumplings and glasses of sweet tea. I felt like I should offer him a chair and sit down to chat over coffee but he had plenty of tables to serve and our ticket was ready for pickup. Again, his generous service left us compelled to leave a generous "yes" on the table.
The waiter at Buffalo Wild Wings had a busy shift covering tables for UFC fight night and the NFL playoffs. And this one crazy Pittsburgh Steelers fan was more than a fanatic; I probably would have left a bigger tip if they would have asked that guy to leave (or given him a free order of wings to keep him busy at his seat). Nevertheless, with a crowded room full of sports fans our waiter kept our glasses full and our table clean. Surely, we could leave a generous "yes" on the table for his performance too.
Really, that's exactly what God in Christ is hoping to get out of our lives. Placing our yes on the table by acknowledging his perfectly completed performance on the cross.
It would release us from attempting to prove our own self worth in a less than stellar performance of self righteous deeds. We become token tippers throwing change on the table hoping to appease any disappointment God may have with our begrudging attitudes or shameful actions. Or maybe we flaunt a few dollar bills on God's table trying to impress our fellow comrades with our deep pockets.
And really, God becomes quite disgusted and broken hearted by our attempt to manipulate Him with some kind of payoff; temporarily saying yes for him to pat us on the back before we repeat our same selfish behavior.
God doesn't want your token tip, a few dollars in the plate, a promise to do better, your church attendance, a prayer, or reading your bible on occasion. God wants you to place your "yes" on the table; to acknowledge His superior performance, a performance that you can never match or repay.
He wants you to sign and date the check to your life. There's no need to complete the line for what it's for, the amount, or the memo line. He's not looking for a season of time or you working off the balance of some amount. He wants everything; he wants you to go all in.
So, sign the check, hand it to Him, and place your "yes" on the table!
