Spaghetti Night

Tonight is Spaghetti Night. My son likes this to happen on Wednesdays, because he's grown up with us saying Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day. He's never even seen the commercial! This week, Spaghetti Night is happening on Thursday.

Sometimes, schedules change. The spaghetti is still good, though, as is the garlic toast and mozzarella sticks. It's all good.

Our dog, Sasha, also loves Spaghetti Night. We have meat sauce and she really loves that sauce. She gets to clean up whatever sauce is left on our plates plus we put some on top of her food. When it's a week that a fresh batch of sauce has been simmering on the stove all day, we spread some over her food and set the dish aside to cool off a bit.

Sasha puts up with a lot while she waits

Sasha is impatient. She does not want to wait for the sauce to cool off. She paces. She gives me puppy-dog eyes. And I say to her, "Be patient. You don't want to burn your mouth."

Before long - a lifetime in Sasha's mind, I'm sure - the food is a suitable temperature for her to chow down. She gobbles it up happily.

Tonight, as I repeat this ritual and speak the words of patience, it dawns on me. This could very well be the Lord speaking to me. I want it all and I want it now. But God says, "Patience, in good time." He knows when it is the right moment for me to receive the thing I've been waiting for. When all is right and I can revel in, gobble up, the happiness. It's hard being the one to wait, not fully understand why it's necessary. But how wonderful that my Father in Heaven knows what's best for me and he sticks to that. I won't get burned if I just wait for His timing.

I'm going to practice waiting. How about you?