For a span of months, I worked as a waiter at a restaurant in Pasadena, CA. I needed some extra cash as I was nearing graduation and getting ready for a wedding and then the real world. I would consider myself a rather outgoing and talkative person so serving was a great way for me to interact with people while working.

Most of the time my conversations with my guests would be regarding deep fried macaroni and cheese balls or what beer pairs well with a bacon cheese burger, but one night a group of young folks came in and I could tell something was a little bit different about these cats.

First off they were incredibly patient, it took me a minute to deliver their beverages and finally put in their food order but they were not in any hurry and were like “No worries.” Which was not a theme I was used to in southern California. Everybody there just seems like they are in a hurry and nobody else really matters, but these people were just enjoying a night out celebrating a friend’s birthday.
As I dropped off their drinks one of them said “Hey I like your necklace.” My response is usually “Thanks, me too.” I say that because my necklace is a wooden Jesus fish and I say I like it because I like Jesus, I could care less about the fifty cents I spent on the necklace but it is a symbol of my belief and that it hangs around my neck suspending perfectly over my heart, never leaving me. To me it is much more than just a necklace, but most of the time when people say “nice necklace” that is usually the end of the conversation. Not this time, the girl who said it then explained they are all friends from the same church. They then asked about my life and I asked about theirs and we talked while we waited for their food, and while my other tables waited for me to wait for them (pun intended.)
I then told them about Days Of Difference and their faces lit up and they almost laughed because they took out their phone and showed me the Instagram for their church “Resetwwca” (Word for the World CA) They do outreach and events with their church and are living examples of the idea behind Days Of Difference. I’m not saying we are the first people to come up with the idea of serving others and putting them above ourselves, clearly not, Jesus taught that duhhh, but before Him Aristotle taught it. So this goes way back. It was just so cool to see that because I was affirmed that we are not alone in this life, there are people out there trying to make a difference and trying to make an impact on the community/society/economy/world.

I grabbed their contact information and went on my merry way to my other tables with a huge smile on my face and a big old “Praise God” on my heart. It was such a breath of fresh air to see other Christ followers using their lives to make a difference. It was even more amazing after they left when I was closing out their checks and on each receipt they left wonderful notes and words of affirmation and Bible verses. I do not even know how much money I left with that night from serving, all I remember and held on tightly to were those notes scribbled on the receipts from a night out with friends.

I thanked God that night for putting those friends in my path. I thank God everyday for people like them that lift, not only me up, but everyone around them. I may have told them all about Days of Difference and the goal and mission for it and I may have inspired them to take even more action than they are already taking, but they willnot know how much those little notes on those receipts made a difference to me. All of that because one girl decided to compliment my necklace.

How can you turn a simple compliment or conversation into a day of difference?

-Bryant