But what grated most weren't the clinging smells or hot fries but the grumpy customers who treated you like a douche bag. It was a job with little respect, but I learnt a valuable lesson there, a lesson I still hold onto today.
The bus schedule always left me with a good half hour to kill before my shift started, so I made a habit of sitting down in a nearby park and reading some of the Bible before facing the row of spitting fryers and cursing customers.
One day I came across the following:
Colossians 3 verses 22-24 – Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Here we see that slaves are instructed that the work they do in serving their earthly masters is actually towards God, not men.
I applied this principle to my job: it might be menial work, but if it's for God I was going to make sure those French fries were cooked to perfection.
I was working in fast food to get some cash to help out during college - it was hardly a job where I was looking for favour to advance my career. But it was still a job, and God was watching.
So I started working on an attitude of doing all my work aiming to please Him, not my boss. I started cooking French fries for God in a greasy, dim lit kitchen.
Fast forward to the present day and I have a much nicer glass office, with a cushy chair and a row of monitors. I have bosses that I really do want to please, but ultimately I keep returning to the same lesson I learnt before: work for God not men.
Instead of striving to please and gain favour with my earthly master (ie by working hard whenever he's around), I should strive to please my real master, the eternal omniscient Father.
I should work hard consistently, knowing that my Father sees what is done in secret. And how much better is the reward of the heavenly master over our earthly bosses!
No matter how lowly and menial a task, if done for the Lord Jesus Christ it takes on a whole new meaning. Even French fries can bring glory to God.
Thomas Devenish lives in Hobart, Tasmania. One of nine children, He works as a motion graphics editor and enjoys photography and the creative arts.
Thomas Devenish's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/thomas-devenish.html