Cream for My Coffee

Photo by Larisa Koshkina

I sipped my coffee as I relished a little time in my Bible this morning. Actually, I was doing last-minute prep for our ladies Bible study, and I was puzzled by 2 Corinthians 1:17-20. All the yeses and nos in this passage made my head spin.

Besides, if "all the promises of God in [Christ] are Yes," why does it seem like God says no to me? What about the great dreams I had for my life, dreams that fizzled as life fell into a rut? Is God really a God of yes to me? I'm aware that God sometimes says no to my request in order to say yes to something better, but that something better isn't always apparent. The rut is too deep, and I can't see over it.

With no great answers in sight, I headed to the kitchen for more coffee. "Sorry we ran out of half and half," Mom apologized.

"No problem," I replied. "This gives me an excuse to use whipping cream." I poured a nice dose of the thick whiteness into my mug and filled it up with coffee.

My thoughts turned back to prayer. In Matthew 7:9-10 Jesus asked, "Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?"

In a Jennifer paraphrase, the question might be, "Which one of you, if his daughter asks for half and half, will give her milk?" No, my heavenly Father has filled the refrigerator with cartons of heavy whipping cream.

I finished my devotions with no new insight on prayer, but the picture helps. I may not understand the mind of God, but I choose again to trust His heart and enjoy the cream.

Sprinting Through a Marathon

Photo by GaborfromHungary
at morguefile.com

Click-click-click-delete. I dumped the junk emails that had accumulated overnight. But then a subject line caught my eye, "When John Piper was a teenager..."

It was a short message from Brett Harris at The Rebelution, sharing his favorite episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast. "Every young person in the world needs to hear this," Brett declared. My curiosity piqued, I hit play.

John Piper was preaching on Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (ESV).

"Don't just lay aside sins to run this race," Pastor John challenged. "Don't just ask, 'What is wrong with it in life?' Don't just say about your music, about your movies, about your parties, about your habits, about your computer games, don't just say, 'Well, what is wrong with it?'...What question should I ask if it is not, 'Is it a sin?' And the answer is, 'Does it help me run?'"

As Pastor John expounded on how we should lay aside everything that is holding us back from reaching our goal, part of me wanted to cheer. What music teacher wouldn't cheer at the idea of teens laying aside video games to focus on more important things in life?

But part of me said, "You're missing something." This wasn't the message I needed as a teen or even now. My personality tends too much toward laying aside weights. I watch the minutes of my life slip away, and I grasp at each, trying to make the most of it as I reach for the goal.

I sensed God whispering in my heart, "Jen, you're trying to sprint through a marathon." Now I'm not much of a runner. I've never run a marathon or the 100-meter dash or anything in between, but I know one thing. In the 100-meter dash, you won't reach for a cup of water. In a marathon, you drink.

There was nothing wrong with Pastor John's sermon. To run well we must lay aside the unnecessary weights, but running isn't all about laying things aside. It's also about adding things, the healthy refreshments that restore our souls.

In the days to come, I'm determined to run better, not by eliminating things from my life but by adding activities of pure enjoyment. So if you find me cooking more, reading more, or enjoying a cup of tea in the middle of the day, don't be puzzled. I'm running a race.