Chick-fil-A Day and Elijah the Prophet

Poor Mr. Cathy.

The president of Chick-fil-A probably never dreamed the kind of political firestorm he was about to ignite when he began answering questions about his views on marriage. With the outcry his words incited, you’d have thought he had called for the stoning of every American who doesn’t honor biblical morality.

Of course that was hardly the case. If you read the transcript of Mr. Cathy’s words, they’re about as mean-spirited and threatening as a chicken sandwich review in your local newspaper. Just one man offering his opinion. That was all. This man just happened to be the CEO of a large and successful, Christian-owned company.

Agree or disagree with what he said, in our great country he had every right to say it.

And American Christians had the right to show their support for it. And obviously they wanted to do just that! “Chick fil A Appreciation Day” proved to be a tremendous success and I can only hope it is an encouragement to Mr. Cathy and his family after days of being scorned by the media and insulted by political figures who tout tolerance, but obviously don’t know how to put it into action.

My daughter had an orthodontist appointment and I had decided we’d stop in at the mall for lunch at Chick-fil-A beforehand. I expected a relatively long line and I was disappointed we hadn’t made it there sooner, but I didn’t at all expect what we were about to find! I should’ve known something was up when the nearest parking spot I could find outside the Food Court seemed a forever-trek from the front door.

We entered the mall and walked right into the back of the line for Chick-fil-A! Hundreds of people were in line. Hundreds! And I just couldn’t help it! Tears filled my eyes.

Do you remember the story of Elijah, how he got discouraged and he complained to God how the children of Israel had forsaken the Lord and gone after Baal? How he was the only one left who was doing right and how they were trying to kill him, too? Elijah felt alone in his faith. Alone in his beliefs. Alone is his stand for right.

Sometimes do you feel the same way? Nobody cares about truth anymore. Nobody honors the Bible. Nobody wants to stand for what’s right. So few of us are left! And they’re trying to silence the few of us who remain!

But what did God say to Elijah? He told him to anoint new kings over Israel and Syria and anoint his own successor. Then He said what amounted to, “Calm down, Elijah. You’re not alone. I still have seven-thousand who haven’t bowed a knee to Baal.” Seven-thousand! Elijah wasn’t nearly so alone as he thought!

That’s the way I felt today when I saw that crowd. I’m not alone! There are others who want to do what’s right! There are others concerned about the direction our country is headed! Thousands more want to show their support for a man who chose to take a stand for the Christian principles in which he believed!

Now, do I think every person standing in line at every Chick-fil-A all across this country is a devout Christian who honors God and His word in every area of their lives? No. Of course not. Do I put standing in line for a chicken sandwich on the same par as sacrificing your life for your Christian faith? Obviously not.

But it gave me a glimmer of hope, nonetheless! To see all those people, to be reminded that God has other followers, a lot of them, who want to do right and honor God’s word!

We’re a quiet bunch, we Christians, sometimes maybe too quiet. But to gripe and complain and threaten and ‘kick up a fuss’ about things is just…well…unChristian and when we don’t fight like they fight, our opposition views us as weak and ineffective and then works to convince us of the same. But sometimes I think we just don’t know what to do to show our support for biblical truth beyond living our quiet lives and trying to demonstrate our faith by doing right in our day-to-day.

Yesterday, however, there was something we knew we could do. We could buy some chicken.

I hope Mr. Cathy was blessed by it.

I know I was.