“Do you know what you want?”
“Just one single pancake.”
“One single pancake?”
“Yes.”
“Blueberries? Chocolate Chips?
“Nope. Just the one single pancake.”
“One single pancake it is.”
“Thank you.”

That was the first conversation I had today.

I woke up craving pancakes and decided to go to a local diner to get them.

I sat alone at the bar and sipped on black coffee and read The Inner Voice of Love by Henri Nouwen as I waited for my pancake to arrive. Months ago a friend told me I should read the book and so I bought it on Amazon right then and there. His words are honest and hopeful. Every page seems to have something I need to hear and hold onto. Just as the waiter brought my a cup of coffee I underlined 17 words on page 18:

“Jesus is where you are and you can trust that He will show you the next step.”

Like I said, honest and hopeful. 

I faced the front door and the long line of recently washed windows. I watched as the people parked their cars and dragged themselves through the front door. Humans look like zombies in the morning. Everyone is tired and trying and ready to say a two word prayer to their server: Coffee, please.

When I sit alone at restaurants I let myself see the entire room. I’m curious and easily distracted and good at doing both. If people watching was a sport I’d have a lot of trophies. I’ve learned that when I sit with others I have to have my back to the world so they can have my full attention. If we go to a restaurant with TVs, you can kiss the conversation goodbye.

I watched as a silver Tesla parked three spaces from the front door. A man with a top-knot got our first and then his wife and then their young son. Everyone was smiling except for the man and woman. They looked like they needed coffee and a nap. I wanted to tell them they were doing great, but if someone looks like they need coffee and a nap then they don’t need a conversation with a stranger.

On opposite sides of the restaurant sat pairs of men. Two at a table to my right. Two at a table to my left. One table was chatting about finances and business and stocks and blah blah blah. The other table was talking about the NBA Playoffs. My ears perked up. If you start talking about NBA basketball near me I am going to listen and if appropriate, join your conversation.

The waiter brought my one pancake with a smile and asked if I needed anything else. I didn’t. I had all I needed.

The restaurant began to fill-up and so did I. Pancakes are delicious, but filling. 

When you eat a pancake you feel joy, but that joy soon turns into tiredness. No one has ever eaten a pancake before and thought, “Now I have energy for the rest of the day.”

I continued reading The Inner Voice of Love, but kept flipping back to those 17 words on page 18. 

“Jesus is where you are and you can trust that He will show you the next step.” 

These words are sweet and comforting, like a pancake.

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about trust. Life doesn’t look the way I thought it would and that has sent me spiraling. I’ve become good at wrestling with questions that begin with why and how and when, but the invitation to trust Jesus remains. It always remains. Trusting is tiring work. It is exhausting as it is beautiful. Yet, everyday I find myself opening my hands and saying to God, “I trust You.” Most days I even mean it.

I cannot find anything wrong with these 17 words from Henri Nouwen.

He is right.

Jesus is present with us and He will show us the next step.

Sometimes I have to sit in the corner and turn my back to the world to remember this is true.

Sometimes I have to turn around and look back on my life and see how Jesus has been present with me, showing me the next step.

Sometimes I have to go to a diner and order a pancake and sit in silence and let those 17 words from page 18 roll around in my head.

“Jesus is where you are and you can trust that He will show you the next step.” 

About the Author

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.

He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.

You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.

His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.

You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.