Buy One, Get One

Sometimes I’m lazy. Sometimes I’m spoiled. Sometimes I’m both. On Thursday afternoon, I was both…and so I found myself waiting for coffee at Starbucks for no less than 30 minutes—and I’d even placed a mobile order and driven for 7 minutes after placing the order.

The wait was quite ridiculous, really. But I suppose it was for a reason: It was “buy one get one free” day…

Except I wasn’t getting buy one get one free. I was just getting one for the next morning.

I drink my coffee cold. I was out of coffee at the house. I thought it would be quick and easy to get a coffee from Starbucks on my way home. I told you. Sometimes I’m lazy.

I was wrong.

After about twenty minutes, I thought about leaving without my coffee, but I’d already spent over $5 on it, and I’d already invested a good chunk of life in it, so I decided to stick it out. I told you. Sometimes I’m spoiled.

And so I sat and waited. And waited. And waited. Less patiently than I would have liked. And waited. Until finally they called my name. And I took my coffee. For Friday morning. And went home.

As I sat there waiting, I began to think: Wouldn’t it be nice if the many people who cared so much about getting “buy one, get one free” at Starbucks also cared about children in our schools—or about persons starving in third world countries—or about missions efforts in our churches—or about social justice in general—or about simply slowing down and waiting to hear God’s voice…and the thoughts went on.

Unfortunately, I think, we have begun to value the wrong things in this society of plenty...

God, forgive our laziness—our greed—our misplaced time, energy, and money—and begin to transform us…transform me…one cup of coffee at a time. Amen.