"the kingdom of god is likened to a restaurant...."

as i was at work today, helping my darling friend rachel learn the ropes of the restaurant business, i was struck by the numerous parallels between how a restaurant runs and the way the kingdom of god works.

as a serv(ant)er at a restaurant, my primary goal is to make sure a customer is satisfied and pleased with their experience. it doesn't matter what i feel like, what i want to do, if i even like the customer or not, i must get out of myself and immerse myself in their needs. my very existence at my place of work is for the purpose of meeting customer's needs.

is it not the same with the kingdom? should not our existence on this planet be for the purpose of meeting the needs of those around us? it doesn't matter how we feel, whether or not we like the people we come in contact with, we need to put on a smile and serve those around us.

it's funny, at work, i hardly need to worry about what will make my boss happy. i know that if i serve the customers, if i meet their needs and make them happy, my boss will be happy. and i know that what my boss tells me to do is for the ultimate good of the business. everything that she tells us to do is for the better of the business. her entire life, pretty much, is centered around what will make her business better. everything that happens there is for the best of business!

and isn't it just like how god's kingdom works. we serve god by loving people and we love god by serving people and vice versa. everything he tells us to do is for the better of his kingdom. it doesn't matter what think is best, how we feel about it, what is says is what needs to be done. god's business is the business of people.

and you see, serving people is hard. that's why we don't do it alone. teamwork is essential to a smooth business. the only way to effectively serve others is to work together, watching out for each other. no one's in it alone.

ah, i don't know, maybe i'm just rambling and this made a lot more sense earlier when i was work, ha.