Green-eyed Jesus

Chick-fil-A Federal heights, the lovely chicken joint at which I work, has been undergoing a handful of changes... Namely our boss. He left over the summer and we have had two temporary operators since.

The other night, I had to sit down with our current temp operator, Jamie Fuller, and talk about some of the new policies. All of the CFA employees have to. I thought he would just tell me that we have to do what we're told and put the customer first, but the conversation was a little bit better than that.

He started off by asking me about myself. I told him about school and the activities I do, I told him about my hobbies, and I told him about college. I told him my life-plan (CU Boulder; law school; help people). I asked him about himself, and he told me about his wife and his dog, how he found his passion for Chick-fil-A, and how he lives in Atlanta but wants to move here because of the Rockies. Then he proceeded to tell me about all the new rules, yadda yadda.

While we talked about work, he had this look in his eyes... I wish I knew how to describe it accurately. You could see his passion for people, for serving, and for his job. Even when he told me about what made him most angry, he said it so lovingly that he didn't intimidate me. He made me feel empowered and important. And I trust him.

I know that sounds kind of creepy... I don't have a crush on my boss, though, I promise. I think the reason I am so excited about Jamie is because if I could give Jesus a face, it would be his.

I never really thought about one of the scenarios in the bible, when he goes to the house of Mary and Martha, the sisters. One of them just sits at his feet, taking in his words. You see, the thought of being around Jesus always kind of intimidated me because he never sinned, and he was also pretty fierce. But as I sat with Jamie, taking in his words, I felt this warm presence of care and acceptance. I can see why she sat at Jesus' feet now, instead of just gawking at him. He must have been telling her stories of his past and listening to her aspirations... They may have had a really good conversation about nothing in particular. She probably felt really warm and cared for-- not condemned for being a sinner or intimidated by his holiness. She probably felt really loved.

I know that I feel a little bit closer to knowing Jesus now that I have felt so much compassion from another human. Jesus isn't just the victim in a painting, or a savior you read about.

He was a human who had eyes that made you feel like you matter.

Jamie is Christian, by the way. I think he looked at me the way he did because of Jesus. I think that Jamie probably cares for others so much because Jesus cares for others so much.

And for that, Jamie made Jesus even more real to me simply by talking about college and uniforms. I hope that as a follower of Jesus myself, I can someday bring others closer to God by how O carry myself.