A picture of a Chick-fil-A restaurant manager praying with a homeless man has gone viral.
The scene took place in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Witness Joey Mustain said he was treating his daughter, Stella, to dinner at Chick-fil-A when a homeless man Justin Burkeen came in looking for scraps of food.
Chick-fil-A manager Joshua Stout said he wanted to buy Burkeen a full meal, and the only requirement was that the Burkeen allow the manager to pray with him.
In a viral Facebook post, Mustain described what happened next:
Mud was wet and caked on his well-travelled shoes.
His hair was matted, and his beard wasn’t a statement as much as it was a necessity and a sign that he doesn’t get to shave as often as most of us do.
People near him kept their distance, but that didn’t stop him from being kind. He spoke to people who reluctantly spoke back, and he smiled while he waited on a manager.
All I could pick up on of the conversation was the manager saying that he’d love to give him a full, warm meal–not just scraps or extras–, and the only thing he required was that the man let him pray with him.
After the homeless man agreed, there was no waiting for things to die down, there was no scooting anyone to the side.
As busy as they were, the manager stopped then and there, laid his hand on the man, and proceeded to pray. I heard love in that prayer.
The homeless man wasn’t some untouchable stain on business. He was the reason that store opened its doors this morning (or any morning).
I asked Stella to watch and she stared. She asked what was happening and when I told her, she bowed her head, too.
I realized then and there that Chick-fil-A doesn’t simply do business for profits, they truly use business to minister.
In a time when companies are trying to win in the market by neutralizing any possibility of offense, CFA is thriving because they unwaveringly cling to their principles and purpose.
I love teaching my daughter life lessons, and I also love being there to watch other Christians teach her life lessons. Thank you, Chick-fil-A, for taking care of the latter today. (Photo: Screen Capture/Facebook/Joey Mustain)
