Samuel Truett Cathy and his brother founded the Dwarf Grill, a bustling diner in south Atlanta in 1946. Despite its popularity, the establishment remained closed every Sunday. In 1967, Truett became a pioneer in in-mall dining with the first Chick-fil-A restaurant at Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall, and in 1986, the first free-standing Chick-fil-A opened. Today, Chick-fil-A is among the largest privately owned restaurant chains in the US, although Truett has since passed away. His Christian beliefs continue to influence the company he created, which aims to be a faithful steward of all that has been entrusted to it in order to glorify God. Truett viewed himself as a manager of God’s resources, similar to Christian inventor and businessman R.G. LeTourneau, who founded a successful earth-moving machinery company in the early 1900s. Despite earning millions of dollars each year, R.G. lived on only 10% of his income and donated 90% to support spreading the gospel. His motto was “It’s not how much money I give to God, but how much of God’s money I keep for myself.” When we adopt the same mindset as Truett and R.G. and see ourselves as stewards of God’s resources, He will multiply what little we have, allowing us to continue being a blessing to others.
