Finish Your Coffee? week 39

REFLECTION

1980 something…I remember granny sipping a cup of tea all morning long. Occasionally warming it, even after the tag and string were discolored from wicking. I can still see her covering it with a saucer when she was ‘done’ then heading to her loom or to stir whatever was cooking on the Home Comfort stove. 

Eventually, she’d come back to her tea, taking a sip and then be off again. You see, Granny was always too busy to simply finish her tea.

2017 something…I found myself smiling at my oldest daughter. Or rather at her coffee cup.

We were sitting at her kitchen table and I noticed that she had almost – ALMOST – finished the entire cup.  Peppermint mocha if I’m not mistaken, presented in a colorful mug. As she jumped up to tend her daughter, I thought again of granny’s tea. I noticed that just like her great-grandma, it was hard for her to stay on task most days. Returning to the table, I commented that it looked as if she had finally learned to finish her coffee. With a sigh she smiled and said, “I’m learning too, Momma, I'm learning...”

Learning to breathe.

Learning to be still.

Learning who she is as a person.

As we finished our conversation, I was also happy to see her smile.  And I was just as happy to see her finish that cup of coffee.

Now let me ask you…do you finish your coffee?

IMAGINE THIS

Do you know how you take your coffee? Black or blond, sweet or unflavored, hot, tepid, or iced? This is an easy question for most of us to answer so here’s a harder one: how do you drink your coffee? Do you down it in gulps or sips? Hurriedly or slowly? Habitually or do you actually enjoy it?  Seriously…do you even like coffee?

I try to enjoy my coffee or tea. The way I see it, if I am not going to enjoy it, what’s the point?  I breathe in the steaming aroma, letting it tickle my nose, then sip it gingerly, letting it glide over my tongue and down my throat. Unlike water, these beverages bring me pleasure.

But why don’t I enjoy drinking water? It's a need not a want.

I try to drink around 100 ounces of water per day. But I don’t enjoy it. I just do it. I gulp it down one glass at a time just to get it over with – sometimes with a shudder at the end if it’s straight from the tap.  But coffee or tea? Those I want to enjoy. And as He sometimes does, the Holy Spirit posed a serious question: Does your daily relationship with God reflect the way you drink coffee or water? And I had to stop and think about that one. The answer made me feel guilty: need vs. want. I don’t always take the time necessary to enjoy fellowship with God.

Just as it takes time to enjoy a mug of coffee or tea, it takes time to glean pleasure from our time with God. And time is a valuable commodity we women don’t seem to have enough of…but what if…what if we changed our perspective? What if we, on purpose, sat down and nursed those verses instead of gulping them down?

What if we, on purpose, stood at the kitchen window and sipped our tea as we pondered the verses God put on our heart?

What if we, on purpose, choose to let the aroma of hot spiced cider tickle our noses as we prayed and listed for His reply?

Wonder what would happen if purposed to enjoy spending time with the Word? What if instead of a quick prayer, we waited to hear God’s reply? Like our coffee, would our relationship with Him quickly become tepid or stay warm all through the day?

MY THOUGHTS

Journal your thoughts here

This fall is a great time to relax and enjoy a few moments of “Me Time.” This week, steal a few moments to enjoy life. Be a little selfish with your coffee and God time. You’ll feel great and your family will notice – not just the selfish part – but the joy you’ll radiate from simply enjoying those  few minutes as you finish your coffee with the Word.

A DEEPER LOOK

Sun.	Luke 10:38:42
Mon.	Psalm 119:105
Tues.	1 Peter 3:15 Psalm 37:4
Wed.	Romans 8:1-39
Thurs.	James 1:22
Fri.	John 17:17
Sat.	Psalm 63:6-8