Coffee Talk

April 15, 2017

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. 

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'. 

Every morning, I either wake up to a toddler holding my face and telling me he's thirsty or an 11 month old yelling from the nursery - don't worry, they're cute. So, it's totally worth it.  As I attempt to get my eyes open and become coherent, I drag myself out of bed to get the toddler (and myself, who am I kidding?) to the potty. We go greet the little one, change diapers, get dressed for the day, and go downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. After grabbing juice, milk, yogurt, Puffs, and feeding the cat, I finally get to start a pot of coffee - the life juice that keeps me going.

When I started to think about what to give up for Lent this year, coffee wasn't even on my radar. I've tried giving up food/drink before, and I failed miserably. I was trying to think of something that would bring me closer to the Lord. Something that would remind me to reach for Him - not something that might trim a couple of inches off my waistline or be an afterthought. I thought about this for days, never once consulting God.

On a random day in February, I was headed home from errands and had just gone through Starbucks for a venti iced latte. Both kids were snoozing in the back of the van, so it was actually quiet. I started to think about Lent again.  This time I actually decided to talk to God about it. What can I do, Lord? With a sip of my latte, He answered me. Coffee.

It's the first thing I do for myself in the mornings. When I'm tired or stressed, it's the first thing I reach for throughout the day. When I want to reward myself, I drive through Starbucks. I could feel the Spirit nudging as I took that sip. God wants to be what I reach for at the start of my day. God wants to be what I reach for when I'm tired and stressed. God wants to be what I reach for when I'm happy.  It was like getting hit with a ton of bricks. (I'm still in shock that He answered me. We all want God to speak to us like He did with Moses or Samuel. The fact that I got a push from the Holy Spirit has me awestruck.)

So on the first day of Lent, I was in Disney World. Every park has a Starbucks. I had even packed a custom Disney Starbucks shirt. (I'm not kidding either. #obsessed) But, I stood strong. No coffee. No espresso. I even passed up the French press coffee at Victoria & Albert's that I had been waiting for since we made the reservation last year. It was rough, but it made me lean on God. After returning home, my coffee pot looked so lonely. (As did the Chip coffee cup I bought in Disney.) When I passed it in the mornings, I was reminded to thank Jesus for resisting Satan's temptations in the desert. Every time I drove by Starbucks, I was reminded to thank Jesus for my salvation. It may sound trivial, but to me it was a revelation. Because of this one, insignificant sacrifice I made for 6 weeks, I now remember to reach for God and give thanks in all instances.

Today is Easter. The baby woke up about an hour earlier than usual, so I came down to the kitchen to make the him a bottle. My eyes were half open, and I'm pretty sure I may have missed a couple of steps on the way down from my room. As I poured the milk, I looked out our kitchen window. The most beautiful, pink sunrise was coming up over the mountain. Standing in awe of His glory, I prayed - bottle in hand - and thanked God for giving us His only son. The coffee pot was empty behind me, but the greatest sacrifice ever made was the only thing on my mind.