BLOG ENTRY 015: I Saved You a Seat
This entry came from the words of my boss. I know, she’s the best. We worked an event together that morning and, on our way back to the shop, I was asking her what kind of entries I could write. I wasn’t asking for compliments, but she had a supply of them! She is my biggest fan and is cheering for me as I continue to pursue this blog. I wanted to write this before I got into the heart of the title of this entry, so you as the reader have some context!
Since working at a coffee shop, I have grown to love talking to others. Sometimes I get to listen as they talk about their life and being that ear for them is enough for me! I learned that I love to converse with others, and my teenage self wouldn’t. It’s easy for me now to gravitate towards others and that helps so much in customer service.
On the drive back to the shop, my boss was telling me how I makes others feel like home and that’s the best compliment I have ever gotten. I have always looked into the idea of what home really is to me because I didn’t grow up in my hometown, back in Michigan. Is home a place or a feeling? I realized that it’s neither. Home is a choice. Where you decide to reside in. I say that it’s a choice because you can be in the same room as someone, they are being nice to you, but you choose if that is actually comforting for you. Does this make me safe? Does this make me seen and heard?
I can personally relate to this especially when I have new coworkers, I try to take them under my wing and guide them the best way I can. As a barista, there is more to it than just using a machine and taking your order. I show them the mistakes I’ve made and options that I chose to make a process easier for me. They can always learn from me! I’m an example to them all the time, they look at me to continue to thrive in the shop. I am open for challenges and questions and itching for what’s next, and I hope that is reflected in me. But I also want to get to know them personally. I can create a better bond with them and know how to help them grow in their current stage of life.
In the words of my boss, she was saying to me that day, “You can sit with us!” (Notice the Mean Girls reference?) And it’s so true because there is always room for more! There will be people that leave your table, too. Not everyone you know will stay with you for your lifetime, sometimes they’re sitting with you to learn something from you, or you learn from them. It’s like the saying, “They can be a blessing or a lesson.”
Going back to the idea that home is a choice, the people that you let into your life is also a choice. You can be as open or particular as you want, but if you don’t let someone know you, how are you letting yourself be open so you can know them?
The verse that comes to mind is Psalms 23. You guys know how much I love that passage! This verse is very fitting to having a seat at the table.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
For every season in your life, there’s a table. There will be different people that sit with you through your struggles, your victories, and your experiences. For me, my family is there, my boss and my coworkers are there, my community from my church are there, and my thoughts are there. You sometimes can easily spot who your enemies are, or they can be wolves covered in sheep skin. My thoughts are my enemies sometimes. My flesh fails me. The devil is there, too. But God will never leave your table.
Ecclesiastes 3 says that for everything there is a season.
For every season, I will pour something different. I can pour more joy, more envy, more patience, more stress, ect. That is also a choice. Do you let the people at your table affect you? Do you let them disciple you? Evaluate your heart posture. Ask the Lord to remove anything that is not from Him. For me, it’s bitterness. For you, it can be something else. If I am anointed for leadership, I must choose what I overflow with. I look at the names and characteristics of God to know how to overflow, and I encourage you to do the same. Ask him as your worship Him today.
That’s all that I have for this entry today! If you’re looking for a prayer that follows today’s entry, check over on Instagram to find it!
Keep pouring,
Khalie x
