Today, I woke just a little bit later than usual. Normally, I’m up very early. I get up around 5 am and feed the dogs and the cat and the chickens. I make my husband’s lunch and a fresh cup of coffee for him for the drive in. Occasionally, if he’s in the mood, he’ll be out early enough to eat a bagel or get one to-go. He’s not much for breakfast. The house is still quiet and I can start in on my studies. That’s usually the start of my day.
Not today. Today, I went back to bed. I almost never do that. But when I came back to my room after my early morning chores, I realized no one had come in my bed that night. Usually, by morning, there is one or two of the twins who have migrated to our bed. So I sneaked back into my dark room and climbed in under the blankets. I spread out and “oooohhhhh”, it felt so good to have my bed to myself. And I fell back asleep. I woke again at 7:30 am feeling like I’ve been cheating by sleeping so long! Yet, I’m not real rested for some reason.
I got up to make my coffee, hoping the kids wouldn’t hear me so there would still be a moment of quiet. Now, I have a coffee routine. I like to drink the first couple, or the first few, black. Strong dark coffee. I like to taste coffee enough that 15 minutes later you still know had a cup of coffee. The last cup is different. I usually add a splash of real vanilla, a little sugar and a little cream. I’m not much for the flavored creamers because there is so much junk in them. But I do like a “yummy” coffee now and again. Today, for some reason, I decided to start off with one.
But here is the problem with coffee that has things added. When I brew a cup of coffee, it’s hot. Really nice and hot. I like the heat of that first cup as much as the taste. But if you add a little cream, it instantly cools it down, even if only a little bit. So, I either need to heat the cream first, or reheat the whole thing after I mix them. It just isn’t as scalding hot as I like it and it is more work to make it hot. You wouldn’t think this tiny bit of cream could cool down and entire cup. But it works that way more often than you’d imagine.
I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine. She was a more conservative friend, Christian friend and was truly interested in family. Somewhere along the way in the last year, she’s gotten just a taste of what it is like to enjoy just herself. Just a taste. And she liked it. Before long, her life has kind of become centered around her. Not her family, not her relationship with God. Traveling, drinking and partying on the weekends seems to be new mode of pleasure. “It feels good” and “It makes me happy” is what she repeats often. It’s changed the whole person. And now, I suspect she’ll lose her whole family because of it. It doesn’t take much. Just a little taste and everything changes.
Like my coffee, just a tiny bit of cream cools down a whole cup. And our relationship with God, our obedience to him, can be cooled off when just a little bit of the world is introduced to the whole. As my friend told me over and over how nice it was to be this woman of the world, the scripture from Revelation came to mind. “So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spew you out of My mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have made myself wealthy, and I need nothing.’ But you do not know that you are miserable and pitiable and poor and blind and naked.” Rev. 3:16,17 TLV. The truth is, you don’t even have to add the cream for my coffee to cool down…all you have to do is leave it sit for moment. Sometimes that’s another way we become lukewarm. We stop pursuing a passionate relationship with God. Add just a little bit of the world, or do nothing at all, and we become lukewarm.
My friend sounded just like that verse to me. “I’m happy, it feels good.” That matches the “I am rich, I’ve made myself wealthy and I need nothing.” But that is a very scary place to be. Scripture says if you are in that position, God will “spew” you out of his mouth. To me, “spew” is pretty formidable word! It’s not just “I don’t want you any more”, it’s “I’m getting rid of this terrible taste!” That’s strong words coming from an all powerful God! I do not want to get myself “spewed!” “You’re not really making yourself happy…you’re miserable, pitiable, poor and blind and you don’t even know it.” I don’t ever want to be in that position! Staying hot means constantly pursuing a passionate relationship with God. Because otherwise, the world will either creep in and cool you off, or doing nothing will allow you to cool off slowly and without noticing it. Which is why I’m heading off to the microwave…my coffee just got cold while I blogged! Stay hot!
Kristan Russell 