Even Without The Coffee
As I roll out of bed in the morning, I pad into the kitchen and pour the hot water onto the coffee grounds that some blessed soul has prepared for me. The family is in a flurry all around me, scrambling eggs, buttering toast, starting schoolwork, telling jokes around the table, arguing over who will get the last drops of orange juice. I silently watch as the glorious black liquid drips into my cup. Hold it to my lips...and breathe in the sweet aroma. “Hey, thanks God.”
The Jewish tradition that Jesus followed includes a special blessing over bread: “Blessed are You, Adonai our God, ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” (Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam hamotzi lehem min ha’aretz.)
So, saying a special blessing over my coffee in the morning isn’t that far-fetched, right!?
After this quiet moment, I dive into the rest of my day. Teaching my kiddos, writing, studying, etc. No matter what is going on, in the back of my mind, I am thinking about food.
“Did I pull the meat out of the freezer last night?
“If I start at 5, will I have time to peel the potatoes?”
“How can I pack in more veggies?”
“What will I plan/prep for next week?”
“Do I need to stop and get (insert random ingredient here)?”
“Will the kids complain if we have leftovers tomorrow night?”
“Jair’s having a hard day, what can I make to bless him?”
“Which kid can I con into chopping the onions?”
“Have we been going too crazy on the sugar?”
“How many calories have I had today?”
“Did I remember to turn on/off the crock-pot before I left the house?”
For some of us, our lives often seem to revolve around food. Especially if we have the responsibility/privilege of feeding others as well as ourselves.
Many of us think of the day in terms of meal times:
breakfast, lunch, diner…
breakfast, lunch, dinner…
breakfast, lunch, dinner…
(or if you are a hobbit: breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, dessert).
It becomes a rhythm that we are familiar with and comfortable in. Rhythms and predictable patterns are important because they offer us stability & security. They provide a scaffolding from which we can grow and develop.
The thing about rhythms though is that if we’re not careful, they can lull us to sleep. If we’re not careful, we can grow completely dependent on the scaffolding we have built, and never grow beyond it. We can find ourselves on auto-pilot just going from one meal check-point to the next, not even aware of what God might be doing (and inviting us to do) with the time in-between.
Throughout this series on Fasting, God has really been getting my attention. By calling us to fast, He is essentially shaking us awake, so we are living with intention and relying fully on Him and Him alone. Fasting from anything that we have used to scaffold our day, humbles us and reminds us that we cannot stand on our own two feet - we don’t have to - we weren’t created to.
Instead, we have a big, strong, compassionate Father that is well aware of our weakness (even if we are not) and who is able to hold us up in ways that let us reach our full potential.
Psalm 103:13-14 says, “The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.”
On Sunday, Kyle reminded us, “when we are deprived of something we become aware of how precious it is.” We also become more aware of how precious is the One who provided those things.
Yes, fasting is hard. In His glorious wonderfulness, God has given us all kinds of delicious food to enjoy. But, when our reliance on food overcomes our reliance on the One who provided it, it is time to reassess.
As I go to bed at night, I am already thinking about the steam rising from my coffee the next morning, and wondering if there will be enough raisin bread or if I will need to make pancakes. So, I think maybe I’ll skip the coffee tomorrow, and thank the Father anyway. Then, I’ll look to Him (imperfectly, I’m sure) to see what He’s up to in my life and the lives of those around me. And I’ll marvel at His goodness as He gives me the strength to participate in what He’s doing...even without the coffee.
-Randi
Randi Banning serves on Regen's Oversight Team and co-leads the Regen Care Team. She and her husband Jairus live in Cortland with their four kids: Malikai, Kana, Ruthie, and Joshua.
