A new donut shop opened about a year ago where I live in Castroville. Donuts are my “kryptonite,” my weakness, so I confess I visit there often.
A beautiful Cambodian family runs this shop. Over time, I have befriended this family by encouraging others to try their donuts—asking them to join me in my guilt. It is a simple little business—not a millennial coffee hangout, just a donut shop. The proprietors do a great job, and their donuts are very good.
Their donuts have a flavor and a variety you usually don’t see in other donut places. On many occasions, while seated and enjoying my mornings, I witnessed the difficulty of communication between owner and customer. This family’s English is broken with a strong accent. Even though initial orders are perhaps unclear to the owner, in the end, it works out, and the customers walk away happily with their orders and a sale for the family. By the way, the family begins baking at 3 a.m., and the shop closes at 3 p.m. every day, seven days a week. They are so hard working and committed to their business.
The donuts are all flavors and colors, a reflection of the different types of people who visit the shop, people of all flavors and colors. The best thing is that people seem to look past the cultural difference and accent, and they effectively communicate and serve each other. They are pleased with each other; they accept each other. The different flavored donuts not only bring pleasure to the taste, but also bring different flavored people together.
In Acts, the Apostle Peter was called to go to Cornelius’ house. As he entered the house, Peter found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”
God gives us opportunities every day to love people around us–our neighbors, someone at work, maybe someone in a donut shop. They may be refugees, immigrants, poor, rich, young or old. They may speak a different language, be from a different culture, or may even be someone with whom we would not consider associating.
After Cornelius told Peter about his prayer, listen to Peter’s response: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” God has called us to go and preach the gospel. Look around you. There are people everywhere who need to know Christ, people of all colors and flavors, people from different countries or neighborhoods, people who speak different languages, and people who have grown up differently from us.
I am grateful God placed me around this family. I have been praying for them. Maybe they have been praying for me to come to their shop? The extra blessing for me is that they happen to run a donut shop. By the way, they also serve kolaches and breakfast tacos.
Taste and see that the Lord is good!
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René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and community life pastor at First Baptist Church of Woodway in Waco.
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