A Lesson at Wendy's

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.