Thoughts on Tipping

I messed up the timing on this post but I thought it was important so if you missed it, here it is again...

Why do we tip?  They don't tip in Europe.

I guess that initially, the idea in America was that we tip for good service.  So for some, that means that if I don't like something about the service that I received, I can not tip or I can give a small tip.

Some people don't tip at all.  What is that about???

I was in a situation two months ago when I was eating with a friend.  We discussed the tip and we disagreed.  He felt that the service was poor and so we should not tip.  I agreed that the service was poor, but I still left a tip.

I got to thinking about that situation later when I got home... Maybe tipping is not just about the service that we receive...

Do I tip the airport shuttle driver because he drove in an excellent manner?  Do I give more at church if the sermon is better?  Did the hotel housekeeper really do an excellent job???

What if tipping is about something else.  What if tipping is recognizing that I have an opportunity to bless someone else.  What if tipping is a small way that I can show kindness.  $2 or $3 or $5 or 20% I promise you will mean a whole lot more to the person we are tipping than it does to us.

Or is keeping $3 more important to me than showing kindness to someone who obviously has so much less than I do?

What if we got ourselves out of the way?  What if tipping is not a response to what we received and instead we thought of it as a way to be good to people.

Just a thought.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.