Ribs are Like Hope - Roadside

Just type in “roadside bbq ribs” and Google instantly finds in excess 8 million results.

There are high-end roadside trucks with competition-grade ribs, rubs, and sauce that accept electronic payment. And then there are the neighborhood rib joints that are popular with the locals that only accept cash.

Both cook ribs. Both sell ribs. And neither takes reservations.

And even though both are all about ribs, there’s a lot of difference between what they do, how they do it, and who they do it for. We could go on and on for hours on end about the differences.

The high-end roadside truck crew wear matching, clean uniforms and have a wide selection of side dishes and beverages. They give out more expensive plates, plasticware, and napkins. They offer moistened, sanitized wipes without asking. They will offer you a business card and ask you to “Like” them on social media.

And then there are the local roadside ribs joints. You might have two choices of sides, and the napkins have uneven edges because they were torn off from a roll of institutional paper towels. Count yourself lucky if they have soda and water to drink. You better carefully support the paper plates with both hands because the weight of your meal will quickly collapse the plate, dropping your ribs in the dirt.

Yes, there are lots of differences. But they have one thing in common – they both are all about ribs. They focus on barbeque ribs. No fried chicken or French fries. Just ribs.

I love both kinds of places. They have focus and try their best to deliver the best product and service possible. They have their eye on the prize, and the prize is ribs.

Do you have that same focus when it comes to hope? Are you looking for hope with that same intensity? Do you have that kind of fever-pitched passion when it comes to finding hope? Sharing hope?

Today is the day to focus on hope.