Last Friday morning,
as I was walking from the BART station to my office, I had an unusual thought.
Anyway, I reminded
myself that I did not need the pancakes, especially today. But, I did have time to eat. I would not have a full breakfast at the
nearby Denny’s; there were a couple of fast-food places that I would be walking
past. But I do not need pancakes!
“I have to buy
pancakes.”
Just that thought, out of
nowhere.
I had already eaten
cereal for breakfast, so I wasn’t hungry.
I do like pancakes, and it had been a while since I had them. I was really early for work, so I did have time
to eat, again. But I am supposed to be
watching what I eat. Especially things with the word cake in the name. Things that require melting butter and a
small pool of syrup, with sausage or bacon on the side, of course. Not exactly a health-fest, but a strong
comfort-memory for me.
I continued to walk,
crossing the wide street and stopped at the supermarket that is also along the
way. I could buy one of those frozen
breakfasts. One of those little
microwave meals that were oh so handy years ago when I was a brand new
mommy. I started to walk up that aisle,
and then stopped myself. I Do Not Need
Pancakes!
I paid for my small
purchases, sans (without) pancakes, and started walking across the parking lot, which
took me past McDonald’s. They have
pancakes. I can get some there and eat
them in the break room. They might even
give me extra syrup! But I Did NOT Need
Pancakes!
I walked on, taking a
shortcut that brought me back to the sidewalk in time to walk past Burger
King. Sigh… I think they have pancakes. But maybe not. I have had their oatmeal recently, but have no
idea what else they had in the morning.
My feet lead me up the
path to the door. Why was I going to
Burger King? Maybe they don’t have
pancakes. I’ll just go inside and read
the breakfast menu, and walk out. Maybe
I‘ll get a cup of coffee or some juice, so they don’t think I am weird.
My eyes skimmed over
the menu board. Yup, they have them.
Pancakes. With Sausage. They also have a platter with eggs, hash
browns… I’m sorry, just got sidetracked
for a moment:).
The manager was
standing at the register, waiting patiently, while I continued my inner
discussion. “I DO NOT NEED
PANCAKES!!” My face must have shown some
conflict, because he started to look a bit concerned. So, I calmly stepped forward and ordered
pancakes and sausage, to go. They were
less than $4.00, so my unexpected indulgence was a small one.
Still feeling a bit
bewildered, but starting to smile a bit, I thanked him for my meal and
left. Walking to the corner, I started
to think about the nice little meal I was carrying. I could walk this extra food off at lunch
time, couldn’t I?
As I walked around
the corner, I saw a fellow who seems to live somewhere in the area. There are often a number of street people around. This fellow appears to be a few years younger than me,
and always speaks, even though I seldom give him anything. Then I heard it, loud and clear, “Give him
the pancakes!”
In an instant, I
realized that they were never my pancakes in the first place! They were for him all along. But I had to buy them in order to hand them
to him instead of giving him cash.
As we made eye
contact, I said, “Do you like pancakes?” He said yes, a bit cautiously. He had probably had offers of food, and
other things, that came with long, thick strings attached. Strings so thick, they become chains.
I smiled and held out
the bag, “Have these, the Lord told me to buy them, but I do not
need them. There is sausage in there,
too.”
His eyes lit up like
it was Christmas morning and his new bike was sitting under the tree. “Thank you, thank you so much!” He took the bag gratefully. As I walked away, I turned back to remind him
that now he had to bless someone else. I
don’t know if he heard me, but I hope he got the message.
I walked on to the
office, grinning wildly. My heart racing
as tears of joy filled my eyes. Foolish,
flighty little me was an instrument for the Lord’s work! God was directing me to do the unusual, and I
had listened and obeyed (eventually!). I was blessed, because I recognized His
voice. I had argued and tried to reason
my way out of doing what He said, but now I recognized that He was teaching me and
preparing me for whatever will come next.
The next part of the
plan may not be with food, but I pray that I will be ready to respond with a
willing heart and eager hands.
"Then
the King will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my
Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation
of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave
me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a
stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you
clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to
visit me.’”
Matthew
25:34-36
Written by
Lynda Kinnard – October 2013
Lynda Kinnard – October 2013
You were used of God and you listened to His word. I am thinking of our message today that when we are obedient we will live a blessed life. Enjoy yours and thank you for the example you set and shared with us.
ReplyDeleteGod bless...