As I pour my morning coffee, I close my eyes and breath in the heaping steam that arises from my mug. The smell of hazelnut envelops inside of my nostrils. Delighted, I grip the sides of my cup with my two hands and a rush of warmth is immediately sent throughout my entire body. My coffee, however, is not quite sweet enough to drink just yet.
Fixing my cup of coffee is always a pleasant way to start out my day. When I pour the International Delight into my cup, I love to watch the fluffy cloud of creamer form in my coffee. When I pour the Splenda into my cup, I love to watch the tiny crystals sparkle at me as they make their way to the bottom. When I stir my coffee, I love to see the different tones of brown marbleize, only to form a solid golden color. My coffee, however, is not quite cool enough to drink just yet. I patiently wait, absorbing every possible part of the coffee experience.
Ironically, the anticipation I am filled with while my coffee cools off is almost as great as the actual taste of it when it is finally ready to drink. The sweet smell of my coffee is so good, that I am often tempted to drink of it before it is cooled. The few times that I do drink my coffee while it is too hot, the heat will burn my tongue. This impatience ultimately takes away the great pleasures of my coffee experience. Sadly, coffee just doesn’t taste quite as lovely when my taste buds are scorched. For those other times that I am patient enough for my coffee to cool, the satisfying taste in my mouth is so much greater than it was the morning before.
In the simplest way, God has opened my eyes to see the simple beauty in life and also the simple beauty in obedience. Patience is one virtue that is so often ignored, but when it became a living reality in my life, I had an entire new level of understanding of God himself. God, after all, calls us to be patient in love. He has showed me not only how to appreciate this truth, but he has also taught me to embrace sacred waiting. For it is cherishing the waiting season of life that we learned to fully appreciate and take delight in the receiving seasons. In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes I learned that there is a sacred and appointed time for everything in God’s kingdom. It is the time in which everything can be made fully appreciated and fully enjoyed.
This brings me back to my morning coffee. I am so thankful for the anticipation because everything that is appreciated is something that was first anticipated. And trust me when I tell you that my hazelnut coffee is a much anticipated part of my day. Coffee is one of those simple things in life that can turn just another morning into a good morning, or even turn a good morning into a great one. Those simple things in life are not only what I live for, but what I learn from.
