99 Cent Mango

A reflection and poem about faith and patience.

Apr 23, 2025

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Patience and Biscuits

There are a few things you’ll often hear me say while ordering breakfast:

“Do you have blackberry jam or honey?”

“Can I have a cup of coffee to go?”

“Do you have any hot sauce?”

“Can I substitute toast for a biscuit?”

I have nothing against toast.

For the record, I love toast.

Toast is underrated.

There aren’t many things as perfect and delicious as a piece of buttered toast.

But I can make toast at home.

Biscuits are a challenge.

And I always want a biscuit.

“Sure, we can certainly substitute a biscuit for toast! Not a problem,” our waitress said.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Sometimes restaurants don’t have biscuits, and it ruins my entire meal (dramatic, I know). Honestly, not serving biscuits is a poor business decision.

However, as I read the menu, I realized this particular restaurant served biscuits and gravy—so I knew they had them.

No, I’m not a detective.

I just like biscuits.

I wasn’t worried about the upcharge, if there was one.

Some people are quick to order guacamole or queso for an upcharge.

Not me.

I often hesitate when the word “upcharge” gets thrown around.

Unless it’s for a biscuit.

In which case, you can have all my money, and I’ll do the dishes.

A few minutes later, our waitress returned to our table.

“Excuse me, sir.”

I guess I look like a sir.

I looked up and raised my eyebrows as I said—or asked—“Yes?”

“I am so sorry, but our biscuits won’t be ready for another 15 minutes. Is that okay? I can get you something else if you’d like.”

I wasn’t too surprised by this.

I tend to have unfortunate luck at restaurants.

Forgotten food, spilled drinks, wrong orders, leaking roofs, random charges, food poisoning, etc.

Once, a waitress cursed at me—but that’s a story for another time.

“I can wait,” I eventually said. I went back and forth. They had blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls. But I really wanted a biscuit. In the end, you always risk it for the biscuit.

Our food arrived, and she mentioned the biscuit would be out shortly.

I ate my eggs and bacon and made eyes at the toast on my friend’s plate.

A few minutes later, she came back to tell me it would be a little longer and asked if I wanted anything else while I waited.

“No, thanks. Just the biscuit.”

Lately, I feel like I’m waiting for a lot of things to happen.

Goals to be reached.
Messages to be returned.
Lessons to be learned.
Seasons to shift.
Prayers to be answered.
Biscuits to arrive.

Waiting is hard.
Necessary for growth, but hard.
Necessary for faith, but exhausting.

Eventually, she returned with a box and a smile.

“I got you an extra biscuit. And I took it off your check. Again, I’m so sorry for the wait!”

I thanked her. Told her she didn’t have to do that. But I was grateful.

It felt familiar.
Like hoping.
Like praying.
Like wondering if what you asked for will ever arrive.

I’ve had prayers answered in ways I never could have imagined.
I asked for one biscuit.
I received two, completely free.

All it took was a little patience, a few conversations, and a bit of trust.

Other times, it’s not that easy.

Sometimes answers to prayer feel slow.
The silence becomes discouraging and heavy.
The waiting makes you feel frustrated and forgotten.
The heaviness stirs up anger and resentment, leaving you with empty hands and a tired heart.

But in the waiting God is slowly reshaping me. Opening my eyes. Showing me that with Him, good is always on the way.

Even when I cannot see it, and most of the time I can't, good is on the way.

Faith doesn’t blind us, but gives us perspective. It gives us a new vision in which to see the world and how we navigate it. Faith slows us down to see and believe that today is today, but today is not forever. It gently reminds us that the way things are is not the way they will always be, and that life continues with Christ after our last breath on earth is taken.

Faith reminds us that something more is happening than we can see, and that we can be patient even when life doesn’t look how we want it to.

Faith whispers:
Something more is happening here.
Be patient.
Even when life doesn’t look how you hoped it would.

So, for now, we wait.
We endure.
We pray.
We look ahead with expectation.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about what’s to come, it’s that it’s almost always better than I originally thought.

99 Cent Mango

From my book, Walk A Little Slower

Every week I buy a 99 cent mango from the store and wait for it to become ripe enough to eat.

It tests my patience as I wait to taste it.

And patience - like time - can be cruel and straining.

And I’m growing tired of watching and waiting.

Patience is birthed from expectation as we endure for something greater to arrive.

For all I have come to know, I am beginning to see patience is confidence that is ready and willing to continue through the pain and unknown.

In patience, we are purified, slowed down to see with clear eyes as our selfishness and desperation is refocused, handing us perspective and understanding in return.

Our appreciation grows with our longing, like Christmas or following a losing sports team.

And it is in seasons of patience I watch God work.

There is magic in His movement and grace in His giving, and most days, I forget I’m living between the two.

Like, I forget patience isn’t a painful punishment but the way to much more.

To something so sweet.
So delightful.

So rich.

Like a 99 cent mango.

Coming Soon: Wednesday Poetry Club

What is the Wednesday Poetry Club?
Well, it’s something you are invited to.
It’s a club.
For poets and readers and really anyone.
It’s a space where poems are shared, community is found, and inspiration is ignited.
Is it an exclusive club? Yes. Every club is exclusive. If a club says it isn’t exclusive, it isn’t a club.
Are there meetings? Maybe. But not required to attend.
Will it cost money? No. But there will be merch. So, kinda yes. But no.
How do I become part of the club? Great question. And one day I will answer it, but today is not that day. I’ve got a little more planning to do.
Who is invited to be part of this exclusive club? We went over this. You are. But not yet.
Why? Because I still need some time to get it together. Stay tuned.