Do you tip? Today, some thoughts on the practice that Christians should consider.
In a recent blog, Thom Rainer of Lifeway Research gave concerns about Christians and tipping.
Tipping is an opportunity we may not otherwise have. This is our opportunity to represent the name of Christ well. God has put these people in our paths for a reason.
Our generosity is one way we point people toward Christ. We demonstrate our priorities with the ways we spend money. We can’t have a positive witness with a greedy attitude.
We can help counter some of the negative impacts of other church members. A server in a restaurant said she hated working the Sunday lunch shift. She said church members were the rudest and stingiest customers she encountered. Our positive witness with a generous tip can counter some of the negativity caused by others.
Generous tipping reflects a compassionate and grateful heart. Many servers work long hours and endure verbal abuse on a regular basis. When we tip generously, we are demonstrating compassion for these servers, and we are expressing our gratitude for their service.
Most of us are blessed with abundance. We should be generous with that which God has given us.
Generous tipping can reinforce positive conversations with servers. If we are kind to servers, and if we speak with graciousness and gratitude toward them, our witness is reinforced when we tip generously.
Poor tipping can be a negative witness that takes time to overcome.