This is National Waffle Day.

A dictionary might define “waffle” as “a crisp cake of batter baked in a waffle iron.” You’re probably very familiar with that type of waffle. Whether smothered in strawberries and whipped cream or just covered with butter and syrup, a waffle can be a delicious treat. The point of having “National Waffle Day” is to get people to eat more waffles.

But the word has another definition, as a verb: “to avoid committing one’s self, to speak both sides of an issue.” We hear waffle used this way quite often during elections when candidates accuse each other of “waffling” or “flip-flopping.” They certainly aren’t talking about eating crisp cakes of batter, but about not taking a stand on the issues.

Waffling isn’t limited to politicians. Everyone is susceptible—parents, kids, lawyers, doctors, sales people, police officers, mechanics—even Christians. Someone might ask, for example, “What do you think about Jesus?” A waffle answer would sound something like this: “Well, uh, I don’t know, uh, I mean I think he was God but, you know, people have a lot of different ideas . . . I guess I could go either way . . . .”

When it comes to our faith, the Bible tells us to be confident and committed to the truth. Otherwise we will “waver back and forth” (waffle) in everything we do.

When asked about Jesus, we should answer, “He is God and man. He came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. He lives today and is my Savior. I trust in him.” No waffling there!

So on this National Waffle Day, go ahead and eat one . . . but don’t be one.

 . . . A doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do (James 1:6, 8).

To Do

Ask Mom or Dad if you can have waffles sometime this week for breakfast. Then, as you eat, tell your family about the other kind of waffling.

Also on this day . . .

79—Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the town of Pompeii.

1869—Cornelius Swarthout patented the waffle iron.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005).