Closed on Sundays

I just love Mr. Truett Cathy.  He is a Southern hero of sorts.  You may not know him by name, but you surely know his great invention....the chicken sandwich!  He may not have invented chicken, but his claim is that the fried chicken sandwich is all his idea!  Mr. Cathy is the founder of Chick-fil-A.  This famous chain started in a little town outside of Atlanta in a small restaurant known as The Dwarf House.  My family actually ate there once.  It is an old-style short order diner complete with a long silvery counter and round red stools.  The back half has been remodeled to look just like any other Chick-fil-A, but the front remains pretty much the same...the way Mr. Cathy started.  Their menu includes things like sweet potato souffle, a "hot brown", homemade coconut pie and - get this - beef!  (We saw one of the customary Chick-fil-A mascots cow-ering in a corner...da da dum..) 

The thing that I love most about Truett Cathy is not necessarily his chicken.  I love his faith.  He established his restaurants on Biblical principles, and he remains committed to integrity and good old-fashioned service.  When you say, "Thank you," to a Chick-fil-A employee, you will always get, "It's my pleasure," in return.  That's so sweet.  They are all pleased to serve us!  And why shouldn't they be?  Their work environment is uplifting.  Everyone is smiling.  Very few people complain. They hear Christian music all day. And....they get Sundays off.  No one ever has to beg for a day to go to church!  It's automatic at Chick-fil-A!  This is a wonderful thing. 

We all know that one of the commandments is to "remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy."  The Lord built a day of rest for us into our busy weeks.  This is the day that we go to worship, hang out with our families and forget all about the busy-ness of the week.  God knew that we all get so focused on our own stuff and that we need a period of time to relax, regroup and refocus.  I think it is no accident that this coincides with our recognized day of worship.  How better to refocus than to remove our worries and stress and look completely on the face of the Lord.  Ideally, we should do this every day, but Sunday is a great time for us to gather together with others who love God just as much as we do.  This bolsters our faith and keeps us accountable to the Word. 

If you have to eat fast food, stop by Chick-fil-A.  Pick up a comment card and thank Mr. Cathy for his faithfulness to God and for the example he has set for so many young employees.  And when Sunday rolls around, throw a pot roast in the crock pot and come home from a day of worship to hang out with your precious family.  Because...Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays.

My Sunday suggestion:  Take a hike!  We love to go for a good walk in the woods on Sunday afternoons.  Our family observes so many things in nature, and we tend to forget all the stuff that has gone on through the week.