Yes, and a long walk it was! The park referenced in the title was none other than Busch Gardens, the well-known theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia. While on vacation last week, our family spent a day getting "Busched."
It was great! Despite the hot weather (the temps soared into the upper nineties), we were able to take in a lot of rides and other attractions. One of my sons said this was best theme park he had ever been to. If you were to ask my kids what they found so impressive, they would tell you the roller coasters (especially the Griffon and Apollo's Chariot) as well as the 4-D attraction at Corkscrew Hill.
But if you were to ask us as parents what impressed us most about the park, we would say it was the creativity of the park's layout (it's divided into the different countries of Europe, with each section having the flavor of that particular culture) and especially the service of the staff. Regarding the latter, we were amazed at how consistently friendly the staff, especially in light of the fact that they go through the same routines with thousands of people day after day after day. When they thanked us for visiting Busch Gardens and wished us a pleasant and fun experience, it sounded like they really meant it! On one occasion, our family was one of the very few in line to get on a train, and the worker at that station offered to refill our water bottles from the staff's private water cooler. (I think he pitied our family of seven, knowing the park charged nearly $4 for one bottle of water!)
The workers were not only courteous, they were also conscientious. Not once did I see any of the staff horsing around while tending to their duties. Oh, they were good-natured and all, but at the same time they took their jobs very seriously. They checked and often re-checked every seat on ever ride to make sure every passenger was secure. The operator would wait for the "thumbs up" safety signal from every worker before "throwing the switch" to start the ride. There was no goofing around when it came to their jobs, and we appreciated that.
The icing on the cake was the cleanliness of the facilities. Thousands upon thousands of people made their way through the park that hot summer day, and you know that many are not careful to throw their litter where it belongs! Yet we were hard-pressed to find any trash on the grounds. The staff was composed of a "leadership team" who were very conscientious about keeping their facilities clean for their customers' enjoyment. This was quite apparent to us, and we were pleased with their standard of excellence.
As I thought about all these impressive qualities, I began wondering how the Busch Gardens management train their staff. Do they convey to them the importance of people's safety, that lives are literally on the line every time a machine is in operation, that their type of work allows no room for careless mishaps? Is there some kind of incentive program like "Employee of the Month" for whoever shows the most diligence in their duties or courtesy to customers? Whatever they do, it is effective ... and makes quite the impression.
Finally my thoughts shifted to our service as a church. As the Lord brings folks across our path, how courteous are we? How conscientious are we in serving them? How much diligence is given by each member to keep our facilities looking clean, efficient, pleasant and inviting? After all, "they do it to obtain an imperishable wreath, but we an imperishable" (1 Cor. 9:25). That is to say, we as ambassadors for Christ have far more incentive to serve with excellence than unregenerate staff members at a theme park! No wonder Scripture says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve" (Col. 3:23-24).
We went to Busch Gardens for entertaintment. But we also got an education. Considering that the tuition was worked into the cost of the ticket, I guess it wasn't so expensive after all.