Skip to main content

A Question of Attitude

By October 21, 2014August 30th, 2022Devotional

As I wrote several days ago, we can tell that south Florida has changed since the last time we were here several years ago. There is more traffic, people are in more of a hurry and all in all, life is a little more hectic here than it used to be. But as happens during almost every trip we take, we have been blessed this time to meet a real servant of God – a woman who just lives to take care of others.

Rosa is an unlikely candidate for this type of role. She is a server at breakfast each morning and we have watched her each day of our stay here at the hotel. Whether she officially assists us or not, she always has a smile on her face. I have to say that I have not seen or heard an unkind thing from her the entire week. Rosa is the kind of person who walks around with a smile on her face. She has worked for Marriott more than 20 years now and you would think that she still has the excitement of her first day on the job.

She obviously knows her job better than anyone else we have met. She remembered our names, how we like our coffee when we sit down and that we like to have water without ice for our morning pills! I especially get a kick of it when she calls Janet and me her “little darlings.” I guess I would be offended if most people said that to me, but from Rosa, it is obviously a term of endearment and you know what? It brings a smile to my face every morning.

She can’t wait to serve us – whether it is finding a waffle that somehow magically appears at our table or bringing a warm carafe of coffee as she is worried that Janet’s drink isn’t warm enough for her. She is a wizard at multi-tasking and each day she has endeavored to learn something new about us. It has been a real pleasure getting to know her these past several days. In fact, I would have to say that she has really made our breakfast meals a real blessing.

Too many times these days, people just don’t have a servant heart. It seems to be more about push and pull than serve and assist. After all the traveling that Janet and I have done, we have really come to appreciate the Rosas of the world. They are very important ambassadors and you don’t have to look very hard to figure out that she does her work in such a way as to reflect the attitude of Christ. And the older we get, the more Janet and I appreciate the service we receive from people like Rosa. It is just so rare these days.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, as well as several other places throughout the Bible, mentions how important a God centered attitude is. Rosa has it down pat. Our verse for the evening is from Phil. 2:3-5, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…”

My encouragement this evening is that Christ wants each of us to adopt an attitude of service to others – and that includes an attitude of humility. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t concern ourselves with our own needs but it does mean that we have a responsibility as Christ followers to help others. My prayer is that you will notice those people in your life, like Rosa, who really live to serve others. They are a blessing and the entire world is far better off because of their service minded spirit to others. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

Leave a Reply