"I am blessed"

When we greet a customer at work we usually say the following "Hi, welcome to Chick-fil-a" followed by the expected "How are you doing today?". If people do actually answer the "How are you?" question it is usually with either a less than believable "I'm fine" or an overly enthusiastic "I'm doing great" (this is usually said by those who have spent their whole day at Disney).With the occasional honest answers of "I'm tired" or "I'm a little stressed" or there may be no response at all.  But last night I heard an answer that I had never heard before. This couple walked up to the register next to mine, and when my co-worker asked the question "How are you doing tonight?" the woman responded with "I am blessed".  This caught me, as well as the customer I was serving, completely off guard. I knew from that moment that I HAD to talk to this couple. But my customer beat me to it.  The couple and my customer began to talk about the unusual response and as I listened in I was so encouraged. "It's the truth" said the woman. "I am so blessed to have everything that the Lord has given me". Both the husband and the other man agreed. "Glory to God" exclaimed the husband when both the man, and now myself, began to list some of our blessings. 

At this point, their food had come up and the man and the couple shook hands, exchanged names and went their separate ways. Luckily for me, the couple stayed in the dining room. As soon as I had the time I went over to the booth where the couple was sitting. "Do you need a refill?" I asked (I still had to do my job). "No thank you" they replied. But before I walked away I had to let them know the impact they had on me. We talked for a few minutes about our lives and what God had done and is doing, and then I had to get back to work. 

This brief interaction had lifted me spirit for the rest of the night and really got me thinking. "Why do I not respond this way?" This couple had the light of Jesus shining through them so brightly that you had to be blind not to see it. Their authenticity and "Glory to God" attitude both encouraged me and challenged me. If I was so blessed, and God has done so much for me, why do I not make it known to everyone. I want the greatness of God to be made known to all I come into contact with. I want people to know that I love Jesus just by having only a brief interaction. I want to be like this couple. 

So next time someone asks me "How are you doing today" I am going to respond with "I am blesses". Not because of the shock factor, not because I want to pay homage to this couple I met, not even to start conversation. I am going to reply "I am blessed" because that is what I am.