I
have an unhealthy/healthy habit of taking my two dogs to Wendy's and
eating french fries and a frosty. It's unhealthy in that, yes, we're
eating lots of greasy fries and a sugar loaded sweet. At the same time,
it's healthy for me - it's a time for me to unwind, enjoy my dogs, and
somehow re-energize in the quiet.
Lyric's
big brown eyes begged me for a taste, and I could feel Rusty's stare
burning a hole in my head. And yet, I withstood those adorable eyes and
withheld the very thing they desired most. The thing I planned on giving
them...but not quite yet.
We
bypassed McDonald's on our way to Wendy's in search of better fries.
McDonald's is notorious for their cold salty fries, but we have found
that at Wendy's we can get fries that are nice and hot and moderate on
the salt.
Of
course, I'm sure the dogs' don't see the value in searching out the
best fries. And as they were waiting, somewhat impatiently, they
couldn't understand why they had to wait...The fries were fresh and very
hot...what I consider the best, and the dogs couldn't help but drool
over the smell. But to my dogs, the best simply meant waiting. And once
the fries had cooled off and they got to dig in, I'm certain that they
still did not understand the wait. After all, I had saved them the pain
of burnt mouths, but they had no idea.
As
I savored our treats, I had to ask the question "Am I willing to pass
the mediocre for the best God has for me? And am I impatient with him
when I have to wait, somehow believing he's withholding something from
me unnecessarily?"
There
are some things in life that are okay, just like the McDonald's fries,
that maybe I would choose out of desire to get it quickly, only to be
disappointed when it's not the best. Things worth waiting for, just like
the hot fries, sometimes require a lot of patience. Frustratingly I
don't always understand why I have to wait, even when looking in hind
sight.
On
our drive home I thanked God for withholding those things that might
burn me and only giving them to me when He knows I'm ready. I know that
He understands things I'm completely unaware of.
Tonight
I learned a valuable lesson while contemplating - to trust in His
timing and wait for the best...and I'm not planning on stopping this
habit anytime soon, healthy or not.
