Quincy Springs, Owner & Operator of Chick-fil-A Vine City, delivered a thoughtful devotional message to remember at the April 3rd Virtual Transform Westside Summit—a message aimed at helping to ease the public’s anxieties about COVID-19 and the impact it continues to have in Atlanta and around the world. Springs, a man faith, opened the segment with a prayer. A quote from First Chronicles set the theme for Springs’ message: Though life does not always go according to one’s plans, one may find solace in the idea that there is a higher power in control which has one’s best interests at heart.

Springs, speaking to online summit attendees via a prerecorded video, followed prayer with a reading of a letter he wrote to his staff at the start of the year. “‘2020 is the year of perfect vision,'” he says toward the end of the letter. “‘I clearly see a bright future for Vine City FSR. Happy New Year.'” Springs acknowledged, “I realize that I wrote this letter with rose-colored glasses.”

“When I wrote this letter, there was no way I could anticipate the devastating affects that Coronavirus has had on our communities and our economy,” says Springs. “People are hurting, people are scared, and people are anxious. Instead of growing my sales, they are down fifty percent. Instead of traveling, I’m staying home. Instead of growing my team, I’m trying to find ways to keep every last one of them working. And instead of getting involved in the community the way I wanted to, I am working to keep my doors open so that people in our community can have an option when others have closed their doors or shortened their hours.”

Quoting from Bible verses James 1:2 and Romans 8:28 and ending with Psalms 23, Springs closed his devotion with a message of positivity and perseverance in the face of adversity and tribulation, encouraging viewers to use the present moment as an opportunity to be of service to their communities. For most of us, that task may be as simple as frequently washing our hands for at least twenty seconds and practicing social distancing. Regardless of how we choose to be of service to others beyond that, Springs suggests that we each do ourselves the service of removing the rose-colored lenses from time to time. For, in doing so, we are reminded that though we may not know what the future holds, we can be certain that we should spend each day pursuing our life’s purpose.

View Quincy Springs’ devotional message in the video below beginning at minute 13:40.