We can't seem to help ourselves: the latest and greatest gets us revved up and ready to roll! We like to be the first to view the new fashions, drive the new cars, invest in the big house with the pool, buy the fancy cookie. But there is something that has consistently captured my thoughts through the years, and that is the everyday, boring, trust-worthy thing.
No one notices the white shirt. It's simply wearable. Every day.
Going ga-ga over the old plain Ford? Naw. It just starts. Every day.
We sure don't rush out to invest in that ordinary cottage. It's livable. Every day.
Vanilla wafer? It makes the banana pudding what it is. Every time.
None of these things are exciting. They each plod along...one step at a time...one year passing into the next...showing up...being responsible...and getting ignored.
Reminds me of some people. I like to look around in a church service, school event, or social gathering and try to guess who the quiet, responsible vanilla wafers are in the crowd. It's easy to spot the double chocolate nut-filled raspberry confections: they're usually at the front--at a podium or a pulpit or a microphone. But those vanilla wafers, they blend right into the gray linoleum.
Servants. Encouragers. Busy bees. They're the ones who get called at the last minute because you know they'll say yes and jump in to help. The ones who find out, somehow, that someone needs a hug. Someone needs a loan. Someone needs...and they try to fill the hole of that need. Every time. Every day.
Without these vanilla wafers, ministries would fail, school events would be cancelled, and social gatherings would be filled with self-seeking bores who wouldn't lift a pinky to clean-up.
So this post is for you, Vanilla Wafers! Keep up the good work...and remember this:
"Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Luke 13:30, NIV
13 comments:
Yes, I am very thankful for the "vanilla wafers" in my life.
(one of which is my husband...so steadfast and true)
Okay - I love this post AND the analogy. Those vanilla wafers are just awesome.
Yvonne, my hubby is one of those, too! Jo, I think we all can relate to feeling like a vanilla wafer soemtimes. (:
Yes! I work/serve at a church, and I KNOW important those vanilla wafers are. I thank God for them - they hold His church together.
"Buy the fancy cookie"--so cute! The world needs more vanilla wafer people in it. Too much truffles cause a tummy ache.
Sherry and Cat, so true! We definitely need our vanilla wafers. ( :
I really like to think of myself as "the straw that stirs the drink" ala Reggie Jackson, former New York Yankee star. Surely I'm not a vanilla wafer. Ha!
Love it, Dee! Perfect analogy:)
Thanks, Laury!
Well said, and I completely agree:).
Thanks, Lisa!
Nice post, Dee, love the analogy. And another truth about the vanilla wafers: Once you take time to get to know them, they aren't really quite so vanilla after all, they are really quite special in their own unique way!
Sooo true, Sherri!
Post a Comment