“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live” –Deuteronomy 30:19
Anyone who has ever been part of a construction and remodel project knows that it can be chaos. Projects never seem to be completed on time. The cost of the work is often more than originally predicted. A renovation project can be a messy undertaking.
Chris Spires knew that the renovation on his Chick-fil-A store would take a long time. The store would be closed for several months. He also knew that his employees would be out of work until the store was ready to reopen. Chris was concerned that his 100 employees would have to find work elsewhere.
The more Spires began to think about the void that would be left in his community while his store was closed, the more he wanted to do something positive in time while the store was under construction. Spires made the bold decision to continue to pay his employees while the store was closed for renovation.
The Chick-fil-A in Plainfield, Indiana has benefited from the community for many years. The employees depended on their pay-checks. Chris Spires determined the best thing to do was to pay his employees to serve in the community while the store was under renovation. Each employee would be paid to serve in local non-profit groups to help give back to the community.
There are many times in our lives when situations are far from perfect. In fact, life can often be messy. But even in the midst of chaos when can find opportunities to be a blessing. When I heard the story of Chris Spires and his commitment to make a positive difference for his employees and his community, I was reminded that we have the ability to choose how we approach each situation. We can be paralyzed by the mess or we can work to be a blessing despite our circumstances.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
