A very successful businessman inadvertently taught me a lesson about paying attention to other people’s needs … with macaroni and cheese.
Several years ago I ate breakfast at my favorite diner with one of our church’s key leaders. He owned a flourishing business and gave quite generously to our church. As I enjoyed the blue plate special of eggs, pancakes, and Canadian bacon, I asked him how business was faring. He described one recent experience with a potential client that brought a smile to my face and a fresh reminder that I must pay closer attention to other people’s stories and needs.
He had scheduled a lunch with a local company CEO and remarked that she ordered only salad and mac & cheese. I thought that a bit odd as did he until he said, “She explained that her favorite food was mac & cheese.”
He then described a second luncheon with this same CEO at this office that he had scheduled for the next Monday. The menu that day? Mac & cheese from six different restaurants.
From a business perspective he ordered this novel lunch menu hoping to make a good impression on a client that might garner him more business. But I thought to myself, What a creative and thoughtful way to touch a person’s life.
His kind gesture may not have brought him new business, but I’m convinced that this CEO will never forget his thoughtfulness. My friend simply paid attention to someone else’s unique interests.
As I drove back to the office after that breakfast and mulled over this mac & cheese luncheon, God impressed these thoughts on me.
- Do I pay close enough attention to the leaders, friends, and spiritual seekers in my life to discover their unique interests?
- Do I consider those interests as invitations from God upon which I could capitalize to become a better tool in God’s hands to minister to them?
I don’t think I will ever see mac & cheese in the same way again.
How have you met other people’s practical needs after discovering something unique about him or her?
