“I don’t think we’re eating here,” Jack replied.

“Why not?”

“Security is asking us to leave.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I replied. “Why would they want paying customers to leave their restaurant?”

In disbelief, I headed for the escalator. Jack followed as mom stayed with the girls. During our descent, I spotted Bill and Dan. A security officer was standing next to them.

“What’s up?” I asked Bill.

“The manager is kicking us out.”

Not ready to acknowledge this statement as fact, I turned to the guard and called him to task: “Why would you ask my husband to leave?”

“I have to do what he tells me to do,” the man said while pointing at the manager behind the counter. “You can file a complaint with corporate, if you’d like.”

Although the guard seemed hesitant to carry out his instructions, I sensed that he was about to and asked Jack to get mom and the girls while I listened to Bill’s story.

“The guy wouldn’t let me pay with a credit card unless I showed him my driver’s license,” Bill explained. “I told the manager that he’s not supposed to ask for an id as long as the back of the card is signed, but the man refused to turn in my order until he saw it.”

Having worked thirteen years for a merchant processing company, I knew that credit cards were supposed to be treated like cash. And in the past I, too, challenged businesses who failed to follow their contractual agreement. What I found during those altercations was that the person who came across as difficult was not the merchant, but me.

That’s what happened to Bill: Even though he gave in to the manager’s unnecessary request to see his driver's license, he was still looked upon with suspicion when he tried to sign the receipt.

“Do you have something to write with?” Bill asked.

The manager used that question to put the nail in Bill's McCoffin when he handed him a defective pen. The sharp point of dried ink on the tip made it so difficult to use that the receipt tore in the process.

Thinking Bill ripped it in anger, instead of by accident, the employee frowned as he reached for the damaged receipt and compared it to the back of Bill’s credit card.

“The signatures don’t match,” he challenged. “How do I know this is yours?”

“You’ve seen my driver’s license. You know it’s my card.”

The manager paused for a few seconds before deciding: “You’ll need to sign a new receipt.”

Ephesians 4:26 reminds readers: “In your anger do not sin”. To this warning I would like to add that those who do could be escorted from the premises. That’s what happened to us as Bill gave in to the temptation to call the employee a name under his breath.

“That’s it, you’re out of here,” the manager yelled. “Security!”

“Hey man, I’m sorry,” Bill apologized. “Can we just finish this?”

In his book Controlling the Tongue, author R.T. Kendall said that “Holiness is achieved, little by little, not in proportion to our denying sin but in proportion to our coming to terms with its existence—in ourselves.”[ii] Although Bill was man enough to admit that he made a mistake, the manager refused to consider for even a sacred split second that he, too, might be part of the problem. Instead, the man held his ground as he said: “No, you’ll have to leave.”

And that is how the certified public account, the Christian writer, her silver-haired parents, their disabled friend, and two children were kicked out of McDonald’s.

“Now where are we going to eat?” I asked when we were standing outside the restaurant.

“There’s a Portillo's across the street,” Bill suggested.

“Is it good?”

“I think you’ll like it.”

Bill was right. I did like it: so much that the Chicago-based chain has become one of my favorite places to eat (their chopped salad is amazing). My parents and Dan also liked it, which proves that when we step outside our comfort zone, we just might find that we belong there.

“We need to leave or we’ll be late getting to the theatre,” I said after everyone finished eating.

The mix-up at McDonald’s left us pressed for time as we headed to the part of Chicago known as Old Town. I chose to attend a theatre in this area because its website promised a spectacular celebration with magnificent Spanish stallions and exciting riders.[iii] What sounded like a performance that everyone would enjoy, turned out to be one that put some to sleep and urged others to catch up on their reading.

“I’m sorry, I thought this would be good,” I whispered to Dan as yet another horse paraded slowly around the arena. “The website said there would be trick riding.”

Although the stunt riders did perform during the last few minutes of the show, it wasn’t enough to convince us that the production was a good one. Despite my best laid plans, the fun day I arranged for my family and Dan was turning out to be a flop.

I was tempted to complain as we loaded into the van but decided instead to keep quiet and trust the promise made in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

R.T. Kendall supported my decision on page 6 of Controlling The Tongue when he said that wisdom is not just knowing what to say next, it’s “having the self-discipline not to speak when you have the presence of mind that keeping your mouth shut truly is the next step forward.”

Because I kept my negative attitude to myself, the silence prompted Bill to project a positive one when he asked: “Does anyone feel like ice cream?”

“I do!” Hollie and Katie called out from the back seat.

As we scanned the horizon for the nearest ice cream parlor, I spotted a set of golden arches and couldn’t resist kidding Bill: “There’s a McDonald’s up ahead, in case you want to get us kicked out of that one, too.”

“Very funny,” he replied.

We all had a good laugh as Bill ignored my suggestion and pulled up to a Dairy Queen instead. Seeing everyone so happy made me realize that one way God uses bad for good is to teach us that even the worst situations have the power, not to ruin our day, but to raise our spirits as they bring us all together.

It’s been more than a year since we were escorted off McDonald’s premises. I still smile every time we drive by the restaurant as I remember that, when adversity creates opportunity, the question to ask is not why, but what is the silver lining? My silver lining that afternoon in downtown Chicago was an intangible one as I saw first hand that even the worst day with friends and family can be time well spent for those who believe in the promise: when things don’t turn out the way you hoped they would, trust God to use bad for good.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.”

(Romans 8:28)

Quotes to Grow On

“even the best of God’s servants described in the Bible frequently turn out to be examples of how not to be”

R.T. Kendall, Controlling The Tongue, p. 10

“Remember that wisdom in controlling the tongue is knowing what to say next and what not to say.”

R.T. Kendall, Controlling The Tongue, p. 43

“Tongue control is a noble goal; it leads to self-discipline in every area of our lives.”

R.T. Kendall, Controlling The Tongue, p. 6