Maya Angelou once said that “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” All of us have the names of people permanently stamped on our hearts and minds who treated us badly. In fact, many of us are on the lookout for the slightest insult or the smallest inconvenience to add to our database of disappointment.

I absolutely adored my Father. But going out to eat with him in diverse settings was frequently a nightmare. Dining out with my father was nightmarish because of the scars he received in his younger years as a freedom fighter. My father is from South Carolina and was an active leader in the Civil Rights Movement that occurred in the various colleges across the south in the late 1960s. He spent many nights in jail, and suffered all of his life from the infections that resulted from the rats that gnawed on his flesh while he languished behind bars. Although he was proud of his experience and many of us enjoy the benefits of that struggle, it deeply scarred him. The scars in his spirit were probably worse than the scars that the rat bites left on his legs. It made him hypersensitive to every provocation and deeply suspicious of white people. The more diverse the setting, the more his racial antennae was on alert.

The way my father behaved in restaurants reminded me of an observation that the comedian Cedric The Entertainer made during one of his performances. He said that when Black people attend a concert, they often walk in the door thinking to themselves, “I wish somebody would sit in my seat.” LOL. That was my Daddy all day! He walked around wishing somebody would look at him or talk to him in a manner that he thought was inappropriate. If anyone ever crossed a line, they would get a stern lecture on the sin of racism and how his generation fought to eradicate it forever. He had been treated so badly throughout his life that he never forgot it.

One of the lessons that I learned from my father is that you do not have to behave badly to be treated badly. Oscar Wilde reminded us that “no good deed goes unpunished. There is nothing more discouraging or depressing than the mistreatment that occurs when you are trying to do the right thing! If anyone was mistreated, the Apostle Paul was Although he spent his life spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ—he was subject to horrendous mistreatment—and often at the hands of so called “religious people." Writing to one of the churches that he founded, Paul says that he was “shamefully mistreated” (1 Thessalonians 2:2).

But although Paul was mistreated during his years of service, he also lived long enough to receive the royal treatment. The ship that he and his companions had been traveling in was destroyed, and they were forced to spend 3 months on an island called Malta. But while on Malta, Paul and his companions had experience that they never forgot. In Acts 28:10-12, his traveling companion Luke shared this account of their experience, Luke writes:

We spent a wonderful three months on Malta. They treated us royally, took care of all our needs and outfitted us for the rest of the journey.

Luke said that they were treated royally! According to one definition, the royal treatment is to receive “very elaborate and attentive treatment.” When you receive the royal treatment, every need is anticipated. When you receive the royal treatment, every desire is fulfilled. When you receive the royal treatment, you are often embarrassed and self conscious. I am not sure if that experience of the royal treatment offset all of the mistreatment that Paul and his companions had received in other places. But it must have come pretty darn close.

My wife and I recently received the royal treatment. I have spoken on 4 continents, on 5 islands, and in 42 states. I have been hosted by organizations big and small, rich and poor. I’ve flown on private jets, stayed in five star hotels, eaten in Michelin starred restaurants, and received gifts that literally blew my mind. But on a recent trip, I received a level of treatment that I have never received. This church rolled out the red carpet. Literally. The driver had a piece of red carpet rolled up in his car and he rolled it out anytime we walked out. Here is a video/photo of my wife walking on it.

I was actually embarrassed. But I loved every minute of it LOL. In all my travels, that has NEVER happened. And I will never forget it. The carpet wasn’t that expensive. But it made both of us feel special, unique, and valued. You may forget what people say or do, but you will never forget how they treat you.

I do not have a question for you today. I only have a statement.

My assignment is to inform someone reading this blog that God has made arrangements for you to receive the royal treatment. It may not make up for all the mistreatment that you have received. But it will come pretty darn close.

The Royal Treatment