Lesssons from "Coming to America"

Most of us have seen “Coming to America”. It’s a staple in ANY movie collection. While I was watching it the other night, I began to notice something that I hadn’t paid much attention to before.

There was something about Akeem, the main character. He’s the Prince of Zamunda, a country in Africa, where he has everything he could ever want and more. But he isn’t satisfied with the selection of women there so he chooses to venture to America, to Queens, NY to find a wife.

He gets a job working at a fast food restaurant as a janitor. And he does everything with such excellence that everyone around him takes notice. He does whatever he’s asked and doesn’t act like there is anything below him. He’s a great example of a servant. The people he meets notice that there’s something different about him, but they can’t put their finger on quite what it is. He’s always considerate and gracious. He never truly exposes his legacy, but he never lies about it either.

The owner of McDowell’s wants his daughter, Lisa, to marry Darryl (who’s father’s company has made money in the hair care industry) because he APPEARS to be rich, but little does he know that Akeem has the REAL wealth. He’s looking on the outward appearance (as we so often do) and HE nearly misses the real truth. His daughter, Lisa, however, has enough sense to get to know Akeem and discovers that he’s a great guy who isn’t concerned about the material things that Darryl or her father are.

The moral of this story is two-fold. First, do everything you do with excellence, not because you may WANT to, but because he speaks well of you (and who you represent – Christ). Secondly, if you think you’ve got someone figured out because of what you can see externally, you may be in for a surprise when you see the real person. While Akeem actually had more material wealth, he also had a solid, humble, and gracious head on his shoulders, making him the better choice in more ways than one.