What started as a single act of kindness ended up touching more than 100 people at a Northwest Florida Whataburger restaurant on Friday.
As Christians, we are told to see everyone as “Christ” in the flesh. The stranger and the neighbor are to be loved in the same way we would love ourselves.
Travis Ramsay, general manager of the Whataburger off Highway 90 in Pace, said 105 people participated in a pay-it-forward chain that started breakfast time on Friday morning.
The chain started when one of the restaurant’s regular customers paid for the food ordered by the woman behind him in the drive-thru. “She was kind of a little bit shocked from that,” Ramsay said. “Of course she was more than willing to get the person behind her.”
Then the person behind her paid for the person behind them, and this continued for 105 orders. “It was so exciting for me to be able to be a part of that — just to be able to talk to that next guest and say, ‘Hey, somebody got the order in front of you but not just that person. Right now, we’re at 20, 50.”
Everyone who participated was not only thankful but some were also shocked at the kindness, Ramsay said. “Some folks were just in total disbelief because maybe you have someone whose check is 30 dollars,” he said. “They don’t believe you at all that somebody already paid for their food.”
It was a blessing to the workers and customers involved, “What we’ve gone through in the past year, to have that much hope delivered in a row, that is absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “It makes folks’ day and probably even their month or brand new year … just to be able to witness that was incredible.”
Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”
