Have Some Coffee

A friend forwarded this story to me. Since I don't know who the author is and can't give them credit and don't want to be accused of plagiarism, I've edited it slightly. It's something I need to remind myself of constantly and this puts the truth in a different light.

"A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, gathered for a visit with their old philosophy professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an odd assortment of cups. Some were porcelain, others plastic, glass, crystal; some were plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.

Humbly the professor told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of the former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to address the small gathering...

"You may have noticed that all of the nicer cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plain and less expensive ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued. . . "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you wanted was coffee, not a cup; but you instinctively went for the best cup. Then you began eyeing each other's cups."

"Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but He does not supply the cups. Enjoy the coffee!"

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least."

Several years ago, God made me three promises: First, He would help me get out of debt. Second, I would live a simple but comfortable life. Third, a wife - one He has chosen for me. I've clung tenatiously to these promises and look for them to be fulfilled every day. Now, I may dream about owning a huge log cabin in the mountains overlooking a vast and beautiful lake. But what this story reminds me is that it's not the cabin or the setting that I'm seeking; it's what those things represent: peace, rest, no stress, a closeness to God and Creation. In my dreams I've bought the finest cabinets for the kitchen, the biggest home theater system, his and her bathroom with built in bookshelves and a large jacuzzi tub, a boat dock and pontoon boat to enjoy on the lake, and a Ford F-250 quad cab pickup in the driveway. These luxuries represent the best for me, but they aren't the best that life offers. It's the things we can't buy that have the most value.

Enjoy the coffee in whatever cup like serves up.

Have You Ever Loved?

Have you ever loved something or someone so much that the thought of that person or object brought tears to your eyes? Have you ever been so proud of a relationship that you could neither deny it nor describe the experience to anyone else?

From the old veteran staring up lovingly at the flag he served, while his loyal dog looks up lovingly at him; to the disabled veteran who rises from his wheelchair while able-bodied Americans sit when that flag passes by. From a person of faith who rises early every morning to spend time with God, and who's floorboards are worn where she kneels beside her bed at night and thank Him for another day of His company. The couple who make love slowly and tenderly, lost in themselves and oblivious to the world around them; the mother who reaches out to embrace her child who just took his first step; the father who places his daughter's hand into the hand and care of another man; the husband and wife of many years who can sit together and watch in awe as the sun sets over the furthest dusty blue mountains and know without having to say a word what the other is thinking; the spouse who continues to care for the other when time and disease have stolen the mind and body of their loved one.

These pictures speak of lives lived well and where life is about more than simply making a living. Love allows us to focus our passion on things that really matter. Where there is no love there is heartache and lack of purpose; where love is, there may also be heartache, but it has purpose.

I suspect that a lot of people have cheated themselves of love and purpose because they've built walls to protect them from being hurt. I've held love at arm's length for a long time, unwilling to risk, incapable of living, settling for numb survival - when so much more is being offered. Recently I met someone with whom I've fallen in love, and with that love has come a renewed sense of purpose and hope for the future. Love requires much from us: passion, loyalty, selflessness, patience, sacrifice, obedience, our very lives. But the benefits of love are far greater: joy, contentment, pride, intimacy, purpose, fulfillment, and life itself.

I've found love and gained my life.