How Do I Serve Difficult Customers as a Blind Barista?

On a sweltering August day in Frisco, Texas, I sat on the outdoor patio of Summer Moon Coffee, waiting for my interview to begin. I am first a musician and worship leader, but since I need to be bi-vocational, and since no one would ever want me (a blind guy) to mow their lawn or paint their house, I turned to my other love, coffee, as a source of income.

This was two and a half years ago, and I have steamed a lot of drinks since that day. It’s an incredibly ordinary, unglamorous job, and the early mornings, late evenings, and coffee-stained apparel reflect this. But I’ve come to know that genuine gratitude and consistency of character are best cultivated in the midst of ordinary, unglamorous tasks. We are admonished in Ephesians 6:6-7, which says, “Don’t work only while being watched as people pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude as to the Lord and not to people.” 

These verses convict and challenge me Monday through Saturday. Do I carry out the same attention to detail when my boss is called away as I would when he is working right next to me? Am I applying myself and giving 110%, whether I am deep cleaning a milk fridge or pouring an afternoon latte for one of the Dude Perfect guys? (True story)

Am I humble and ready to admit what I don’t know, and open to learning from my teammates? And even though most tasks aren’t glamorous, my goal should be to do well because I am representing someone else’s brand.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I live my life representing someone other than me. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are ambassadors for Christ here on earth. In Ephesians chapter 5, we are called to be “imitators of God” and to “walk in love” as Christ did for us. This calling is for all of us, every day, and in every workplace.

“How Can I Best Serve You?”

Over the last month my commitment to imitate Jesus has been tested. I have a particular customer whose goal, it seems, is to be as difficult as humanly possible. Four or five times a week, she comes in and places her order, only to return to the bar, impatient and eager to give her list of demands. This usually includes remakes and petty “add this, take away that” demands, and her God-given gift is to do all this during our peak rush.

I’ve been sorely tempted a time or two to inform her that we are not the only coffee shop in town. Admittedly, I have even walked off the bar when I knew she was coming in, leaving her to be someone else’s problem. But it has occurred to me recently that Jesus never walked away from an opportunity to serve. And while management is not thrilled with the extra product waste, my responsibility remains the same: “Serve with a good attitude as to the Lord and not to people.”

This isn’t difficult to understand, but it certainly takes grace to live out. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Grace makes us the servants of God while still we are the servants of men: It enables us to do the business of Heaven while we are attending to the business of earth: It sanctifies the common duties of life by showing us how to perform them in the light of Heaven.”

How cool to think that even while pouring coffee, God is revealing areas of my life where I fall short of this grace and is calling me to something better. I believe God has shown me how to practically put this grace into action as a barista by praying a simple but sincere prayer before walking into the bar: “God, how can I best serve you as a barista today?” I’ve sensed him honoring this prayer by showing me areas and attitudes that need cleansing by the refining work of the Holy Spirit.

Four Affirmations

Also, I attempt to live out four affirmations we as a staff have written down and refer to daily to remind us why we serve. I believe these have spiritual implications as well: Honor, Order, Servant’s heart, and Team player.

• Honor—Am I taking care to honor the name of Jesus as I build relationships with co-workers and customers?
• Order—Am I ordered in my work environment, as well as with my speech and conduct? Do I work according to a higher standard, not because I am the standard, but because Christ is, and I am called to Imitate him? (1 Timothy 4:12)
• Servant’s heart—Do I graciously serve with a good attitude and go out of my way to put others first, following Christ’s example?
• Team Player—Am I showing up performing my part to the best of my abilities? While I can’t be all things to all people, am I doing my best where I’ve been planted and encouraging those around me as they do the same? And just as I depend on my sighted co-workers to keep things arranged just so for my benefit, am I going out of my way to be helpful when they need a hand?

For followers of Jesus, even ordinary tasks have meaning. They are opportunities to make him look good to the world around us.