An Example Worth Emulating

S. Truett Cathy, one who "practiced what
he preached," leaves a strong legacy.

The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words,” is perhaps never more valid than when comparing what leaders say with what they do. Too often – whether they are politicians, executives in business, or cultural icons – leaders espouse high-sounding values, only to have behavior betray their supposed convictions.

A couple of weeks ago S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, passed away at the age of 93. Unlike some of his contemporaries, who would be members of the “do as I say, not as I do” camp, he was a man who lived, worked, and served his fellow man in a manner consistent with principles and ideals he expressed. I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Cathy for a magazine article years ago, and found him to be a humble, non-pretentious, genuine individual devoted to helping to make the world around him a better place.

At the time he was phasing out his involvement in day-to-day operations of the fast-food franchise he started in 1946 in Hapeville, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, with a single little restaurant then called the “Dwarf Grill.” His sons, Dan and Bubba, were already taking the lead.

One of the most notable aspects of Chick-fil-A has been its steadfast resolve to close on Sundays, even in shopping malls where all other stores are required to open seven days a week. Before committing to place one of their restaurants in a mall, the Cathys always sign a contract exempting their business from that requirement.

I interviewed Mr. Cathy years
ago for a magazine article.

It’s often reported this practice is due to Mr. Cathy’s and his family’s “religious” beliefs. To an extent that’s true, but he always felt it gave their employees a day to rest and spend time with family, whether that included attending a worship service on Sunday or not. In fact, when I asked him about the store’s Sunday closing tradition, he quipped that in his business’s early days, “after six days of operation round the clock, the reason we closed was not we were all that religious, but because we are all that tired.”

Throughout his tenure as head of the privately held, family-owned company, Mr. Cathy and his sons operated according to two guiding principles:  

      - To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.

     - To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.

The latter principle, of course, would be hotly debated by those who viewed personal, pro-traditional family statements by son Dan as “intolerant” and “homophobic.” However, there has never been evidence of the Cathys or their company discriminating against employees, suppliers or customers on any basis, including sexual orientation.

Throughout his business career, Mr. Cathy was known for his generosity, including sponsorship of foster homes, college scholarships for restaurant employees demonstrating leadership and community service, a summer camp for young people, and various charity events, as well as his personal contributions to many worthwhile causes. Chick-fil-A also has long been recognized for having unusually low management turnover rates in the quick-service restaurant industry.

More than 30 years ago I was hired to serve as editor, and then director of publications, for CBMC (then known as Christian Business Men’s Committee). A running joke was when someone claimed to be a “Christian businessman,” the response would be something like, “Make up your mind – are you a Christian, or a businessman?” The implication being you couldn’t be both at the same time.

Thankfully, over the 20 years I served as a member of the CBMC staff I had the opportunity to meet hundreds of business people – top executives, middle managers and professional people – who daily demonstrated you could indeed pursue a career in the worlds of commerce and industry and still be a faithful, consistent follower of Christ. Mr. Cathy was one of them, an example truly worth emulating.

Proverbs 20:6 asks the question, “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” One could always be found in the person of S. Truett Cathy, who understood, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and lived accordingly.

‘Show and Tell’ All Over Again

Had I been a NASCAR fan as a boy, I might have brought
model cars like these to "Show and Tell."

Do you remember “Show and Tell” day? I’m not sure they still do that in schools, but “back in the day” we had show-and-tell once a week. As I recall, it was optional and whoever thought to bring something in got to go in front of the class with their chosen item, show it off, and then tell about it.

Weapons weren’t an issue in schools in those days, so there was no concern little Billy would bring in dad’s pistol, shotgun or prize hunting knife. Most of the time featured items were things like stamp collections, favorite dolls and stuffed animals, plastic dinosaurs, something from grandma’s memorabilia, model cars and airplanes, maybe a live hamster or gerbil. I don’t think pythons were permitted.

The rules were simple: If you brought something from home at the appointed hour the teacher would call on you to walk before the class, show the item of your choice, and tell whatever you wanted about it.

Being shy, I think I “forgot” to bring something to class most of the time, but do remember taking my dad’s wartime medals to school once and explaining what each represented.

The single stipulation of this activity was it had two parts: Show – and Tell. You couldn’t go forward, face the class, and just tell them about something you left at home. And you couldn’t just show the items; you had to say something about them. It definitely was not show-or-tell. It was both-and, not either-or.

As I ponder what we often call the “Christian faith,” it occurs to me that it, too, is show-and-tell.

Over the years I’ve taken part in evangelistic conferences, events and training programs, and most of the time the emphasis is on the words: How to say the right things, or how to say things right, hopefully to persuade the hearer.

Speakers at these activities often refer to “witnessing.” What strikes me about this, however, is the Bible rarely uses “witness” as a verb. It says we are to “bear witness” (a noun) – in other words, carry testimony about our faith to those that will listen. In most cases, the Scriptures use witness not as something believers do, but rather what they are.

For instance, in Acts 1:8 we find Jesus’ exhortation to His followers: “And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He also instructed them, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

People within the Christian culture have become skilled in using the words of the Gospel, but perhaps one reason we’re not more effective is because of a lack of emphasis on the works of the Gospel. As someone been said, if your walk doesn’t equal your talk, the less you say the better.

An overbearing employer professing to be a follower of Christ, for example, that doesn’t treat employees with fairness, compassion, sensitivity and understanding isn’t likely to be listened to when she talks about Jesus. An employee that’s always telling people about Christ, but fails to do his work diligently and with excellence, undermines his own witness.

A husband might be a pillar in his church, but if he abuses or demeans his wife or children, he has no platform from which to speak about Jesus – at home or in public. And a physician that often talks about her faith, but uses coarse language or demonstrates a lack of personal integrity, conceals the light He wants her to shine.

We need to ask ourselves, “How’s my show-and-tell?” Whether at work, in our homes, in a restaurant, on a golf course, sports arena or wherever we happen to be – are our actions speaking louder than our words? If accused in a court of law about our “witness,” would there be enough evidence to convict us?