Donut Time in Tennessee
November 12th, 2009

Waiting for Godot. Does that ring a bell? It’s a play by Samuel Beckett that I studied in college. Two characters waited for Godot, who was a no-show.

We spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting in the check-out line, waiting in traffic, waiting for the traffic light, waiting for the last person to come to the dinner table so the meal can begin, waiting for the copy machine to warm up, waiting for the computer to crank out a list of names and addresses we needed yesterday.

I tend to get a little restless when I have to wait. My wife would say that I get cranky.

Recently, I took my grandson to get a donut, a Saturday morning treat for both of us. But the donut shop was “Closed for renovation.” Two weeks later, I drove by the same shop and there was a new sign: “Dunkin’ Donut Coming Soon.” Being the donut aficionado that I am, how soon was soon??

The big day came on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 – Veteran’s Day. I’m not a Veteran but I am a veteran when it comes to eating donuts. I should have been there but the truth is I didn’t want to wait in line. So, I decided to go to Dunkin’ Donuts on November 12. David rode shotgun. Guess what? We waited a few minutes, trying to turn left on 153. That wasn’t going to happen. I decided to proceed to the next intersection and turn around; that worked.

When we got to the donut shop, the parking lot was full and there was a long line, but I knew it would be worth it. Finally we got to the register. I made my purchase and could hardly wait (irony) to consume my reward. My pastry was filled with custard, not the white sugary cream I had anticipated. My decaf coffee was not hot, not warm, nearly cold; I would have settled for just about right.

Sometimes, the things we wait for never happen (Godot, the Great Pumpkin….) Sometimes, what we get after the wait isn’t worth the wait. Am I missing something? In God’s great master-plan for my life, maybe the thing missing is creative waiting. When God puts me in a waiting line, it’s definitely not because He’s too busy.

What if it’s not about what happens AFTER you wait but what happens WHILE you wait? The next time I have to wait, I’m going to play along with God. When He says, “I know something you should do,” I’m going to look around for clues. That’s probably what He meant when He said, “Good things come to those who wait.” Actually, that’s not a direct quote but a lot of people think it is. What the Word actually says is that those who creatively wait upon the Lord will discover a burst of energy and soar to new heights (Isaiah 40:31 my paraphrase). Have fun waiting, and be a blessing while you’re doing it!

Posted by Bill Owens

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