Someone told me recently that if we close our fists, hold them to our chests and cling too tightly to what we have, we won't have open arms to receive what God wants to give us. I made a commitment a little over a month ago to give up lattes in order to support a young boy named Steven who lives in Uganda. The first couple of weeks were pretty hard. I drove by the local coffee stand every morning and salivated over the thought of a hot beverage in my hands. I felt like I couldn't function for a while without my "morning crack" or "consciousness in a cup" as one of my friends so fondly referred to it. I kept making my boring drip coffee every morning, and slowly I began to realize that I was going to live - without lattes!
On my birthday, which was just over a week ago, I stopped at the coffee cart down the street from my house, knowing they gave out free drinks for birthdays. I figured it would probably be the most amazing tasting beverage I had ever consumed, since I had been so terribly deprived for the last month. It was okay. Strange, I thought.
Over the last 10 days I have found it comical at how often I have been given free coffee. My husband and one of my friends bought me coffee shop gift cards for my birthday; just about every one of my friends took me out for birthday coffee; my clients started showing up at my office with lattes; a new shop opened and was giving away free coffee...it got to the point that someone showed up at my house today with a drink for me and my stomach churned. It would've been my 3rd day in a row of 2 lattes in one day! I thought of this verse in Proverbs:
"One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry, even what is bitter tastes sweet."
Then, I thought of this verse:
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and poor out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." Malachi 3:10
It is so incredibly humbling when God reminds me that HE IS BIG ENOUGH! He doesn't need me, but when I obey, He LOVES to bless me. And oh, He has a sense of humor! I have almost literally been showered in coffee! He opened the floodgates of latte!
Today is my one-year anniversary of starting this blog. It is so cool to see the journey I have traveled over the last year. I don't ever want to stop discovering God. He has never let me down, and I know He never will. Wherever you are today - whether you have a close connection with God, or aren't really sure if you even believe in Him - God wants our trust. Trust him to prove Himself real to you. Trust Him with the little things that are hard to let go of. See for yourself how He wants to "throw open the floodgates of heaven and poor out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." Just be prepared for the downpour!
Seriously caffeinated,
Shannan
