Will Work for Doughnuts

You’ve seen the homeless men who camp out on exit ramps holding signs that say, Will Work for Food? My sign would say, Will Work for Doughnuts. Especially Krispy Kreme doughnuts. An apology to my Yankee friends, but Dunkin Doughnuts doesn’t hold a candle. 

My love affair with Krispy Kreme’s chocolate-iced, crème-filled wonders began in my teens, shortly after my family’s southern migration. Dunkin Doughnuts north of the Mason/Dixon had only primed the pump. Of DD’s lineup, my favorite was the cream-filled version dusted in enough powdered sugar to ruin any outfit. 

Enter Krispy Kreme. 

Known for its neon red HOT NOW sign that draws bears out of the woods and causes traffic jams whenever it lights up, Krispy Kreme takes doughnut consumption to a whole new level. 

It was the HOT NOW sign that drew me in that first day. I didn’t leave, however, with one of the fresh-from-the-fryer golden O’s dripping with the perfect amount of glaze. Oh no, that was the day I spotted the chocolate-iced, crème-filled beauty that would become my go-to source of gustatory glee. I’ve loved them ever since. 

Thankfully, there’s not a Krispy Kreme store within 10 miles of my house, or I’d be shaped like the doughnuts I dearly love. They remain a rare and wonderful treat. 

Which is why I was so happy when my thoughtful sister called to say she was bringing me a doughnut. 

And why I was so sad when I left without it. 

We’d divided and conquered that day. If you are an adult with aging parents, you understand this. She took Dad to run errands and go to the grocery store, and I took mom to handle a particularly unpleasant bit of business. 

I drew the short straw, and my sister knew it. 

 I suspect that’s why she called midway through the morning with a consolation prize. “We’re stopping at Krispy Kreme,” she said. “I’m bringing you a doughnut. Meet ya back at Mom and Dad’s.” 


Instantly, all was right with the world because there was a doughnut at the end. And not just any doughnut, a chocolate-iced, crème-filled, Krispy Kreme doughnut. Though the skies were grey that morning, they parted over my head, and a little sugarcoated sunshine beamed upon me. 

Mom and I completed our task quickly—so quickly in fact that we beat my sister and my dad home. We waited, somewhat impatiently, eager for our doughnuts. As more time passed, a horrible thought occurred to me: What if they don’t make it back before I have to leave? 

I had squeezed Mom’s errand between two appointments of my own, and if I didn’t head back soon, I knew I’d miss my last appointment. A quick call to my sister confirmed my worst fear. “We’re about twenty minutes away,” she said. My sugarcoated sunshine vanished in a doughnut-less eclipse that turned the skies back to grey all the way home. 

Five days later, my doughnut disappointment was far from my mind as I sat in Sunday school waiting for the lesson to begin. Suddenly, standing before me, was my friend Margie. In her hands was a green and white waxed bag. With red lettering. And a doughnut inside. A chocolate-iced, crème-filled doughnut. “We stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way in this morning, and I told the lady I needed a special order,” she said. 

“You have no idea what this doughnut means to me,” I babbled, trying to tell the convoluted story while cradling my treasure. 

I thought of my doughnut again this morning when I read the account of Abraham and Lot in Genesis 13. The men had traveled from Egypt, and God had prospered them. Their flocks and herds had grown so large that the land could no longer support them. They knew they would have to separate. 

Abraham was the patriarch, the one with seniority. It was a no-brainer that he would take the best land for himself. But he didn’t. He deferred the decision to his not-very-bright, kinda-selfish nephew, Lot, who snapped up the prime piece of real estate quicker than you can say SOLD. 

Abraham moved on to the land of Canaan, satisfied that he’d done the right thing, much like I did the day I missed my doughnut. 

But God wasn’t finished. Because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. And Abraham had learned that the greatest way to be exalted was to humble himself—to die to his own wants for someone else’s benefit. 

 God met Abraham there and said, “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward: for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever” (v. 14). 

You missed the doughnut today, Abraham, but trust me. I’m going to give it back to you. And when I do, it’s gonna be sweet. 

  

Do you feel like you’ve missed the doughnut in some area of your life today? Maybe you’ve set aside your dreams to help others accomplish theirs. Perhaps you’re caring for an elderly parent, a sick child, or a difficult husband. Maybe you’re stuck in a dead-end job or ministry with little or no recognition. Be comforted. God sees, God knows, and God will reward you at the proper time.



“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Heb. 6:10). 


“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22). 

If you’ve experienced a doughnut story, I’d love to hear it. Leave a comment below and join the conversation. 

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