Drive Thru Difference

When we lived in Minnesota we listened to the local Christian radio station. Several years ago they started a campaign called the Drive Thru Difference, which was an effort to bless those around you by paying for the customer behind you in the drive thru on a certain day of each month. The idea was that when you paid for your food, you would ask to pay for the vehicle behind you and give the worker a piece of paper that explained your intent, and point them to the radio station.

Our family enjoyed the Drive Thru Difference, and would eagerly wait for the designated day to bless someone. We had many experiences with this, sometimes waiting in the drive thru for 15 minutes for another car to arrive, or getting caught while doing it. It expanded our scope of how we could simply bless others, and was a springboard for looking out for the needs of our neighbors. When we moved away, this was on the list of things that we would miss about Minnesota.

This past summer my daughter and I were talking about what she had done that day, and she mentioned going to Starbucks, and made an offhanded remark about paying for the car behind her. When I asked her more about it, I learned that she does this regularly, and makes the decision if she will stop for coffee or not based on if she has enough money to pay for someone else. I had no idea. But what about the piece of paper you give them, explaining why you do it? She shrugged, and said she keeps a stash of church business cards with her at all times, and just hands them one of those. No big deal.

I love the fact that my girl only gets herself a treat if she can do it for someone else, and that she has made it such a simple act, no need to schedule it, complicate it or explain herself. It is so satisfying to learn things like this about your child, but even better than that is learning a new lesson from your child. Well done, Babe. I’d get coffee with you any day of the week.