Waiting on the Good Humor man….
Where was he? It was past 1:00 pm and still no Good Humor man. The sun was scorching and the sidewalks so hot that I thought my Keds were going to melt. Another July day in Northlake Illinois in the summer of 1964.
I looked down the street and strained my ears to see if I could hear the clanging of his bells but nothing. “How do you like that,” I thought, “25 cents burning a hole in my pocket and this guy is nowhere to be seen!”
I sat down on the curb but immediately jumped up. No place to sit on a hot July day. Thoughts of all those cold, sweet favorites ran through my mind: Candy Crunch bars, Creamsicles, Push ups, Fudgesicles and, of course, the Good Humor bar itself. With all my money, I could get whatever I wanted. But none of that was going to make any difference if the truck didn’t show.
Anticipation, waiting. It seems we spent most of our life doing just that. At bus stops, in lines at the grocery store or our favorite restaurant and everyone’s favorite, the doctor’s office. We wait and wait. Time spent anticipating.
I remember Christmas time as a kid. I would spend months anticipating. Normally it would begin around Halloween but some years it started in summer especially if there was that special something I was wishing for with all my heart. Do you remember that feeling? It was in your thoughts every day. You planned and as you did your mind raced thinking how much better life was going to be once you had the object of all this anticipation. The thing is that reality was never as good as the thoughts of it. That toy I had hoped for did not change my life. A lot of the time is spent on wasted anticipation.
Is there something we should be waiting on that will not disappoint and will truly be life changing? According to God’s word the answer is yes. Jesus said this, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:40) There is something that we surely can be spending our time anticipating, the second coming of Jesus.
The problem is in my day-to-day life how do I do this. Even though I retired last December life still seems to be filled with day-to-day tasks that don’t seem to leave much time for contemplation. Maybe the solution to some of this is in my original idea. What do we do with all the time we spend waiting? Could it be that as I am standing in line at the grocery store I could actually use that time to be filling my heart and mind with the Word of God? Could I spend that time-sharing with those around me the hope I have in the soon coming of Jesus? Of course, the answer is yes!
Paul in the book of Ephesians put it like this, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making best use of time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5: 15-17). We do live busy lives but we also waste a lot of time that could be used. Just think of how long you sat in your doctor’s waiting room the last time you had an appointment. Certainly, it was enough time to read the whole book of Hebrews. If you and I were doing this it could change our wasted time to time well spent.
In my belief Jesus is coming soon and even if it is not tomorrow, my life has it limits. Do I really have the time to waste? My answer must be no. I have been blessed to know the saving power of the Gospel, the good news. Filling my mind with it and sharing it can fill those empty moments. Waste to blessing, a no brainer.
The Good Humor man never showed that day. I stood and waited for almost an hour, as I remember it. I had wasted a part of a beautiful summer day. But that was just the beginning of years of wasted hours and days. I just thank God that I no longer have to waste the time He has given me. Think about it when you are in line today, I know I will.
Blessings John
6/12/17