Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Six-thirty Sunday morning.  In a sleepy stupor, I roll out of bed, shove my feet into my slippers, and shuffle down the hallway to the kitchen.  Gotta make the coffee . . .

As I filled the coffee maker with water the night before, all I have to do is insert the filter, add the coffee, and press the "on" switch.  Good thing.  Because, my mind is still somewhere back in dreamland.  I'm barely conscious.

No light appears when I press "on."  What???  In a fog, I push it again.  Nothing!  I unplug and re-plug the machine.  Still, nothing!!!

I can't believe this!  Of all times for the coffee pot to go south, it would have to be on Sunday when we are hustling to get ready for church and have no time to stop at Starbucks.

With my face reflecting the expression of Grumpy Cat and my temper soaring, I yank a pot from the rack, fill it with water, and set it to boil on the stove.  It seems like an eternity before the water is bubbling and I can try to pour it through the filter, hoping that this will produce a semblance of the rich beverage I'm used to.  Spoiled by.

Because, at the Orlando house, coffee is not a casual, pick-me-up drink.  It's a major food group!

Awakened by my mumbling and grumbling and rumbling around the kitchen, Danny appears around the corner.

"What's this about the coffee maker?"  he asks.

"It's broken!"  I lament as I watch the hot water seep slowly through the grounds.  "I'm trying to make some this way."

Danny reaches up into a cabinet.  "Didn't you know we have this?"

I stare in disbelief.  It's a one-cup brewing system!  How I didn't know we had it on hand is beyond me, but the day is saved!

That very afternoon, Danny goes out to purchase a new coffee maker.  When he brings it home, I can't help but worry that the coffee won't be as good as what we had with the old one.  But, when we brew an afternoon pot, I am pleasantly surprised.

Not only is the coffee as good, if not better, but also, this coffee maker brews faster than the other, is quiet as a whisper, and only beeps once, not five irritating times, to let you know it's ready.

And, I find myself reflecting upon how the morning of adversity has been turned on its ear.  That good things and opportunities often arise when the plans we've made fall through.  Because, when we can face those times of struggles or setbacks, knowing God has the real future plan for us, we can have hope.  We can bounce back.

We can wake up and smell the coffee!

~

Is coffee one of your "must-haves" in the morning?

Will you pray with me?

When the going gets tough, Father, help us to have hope and to trust in Your plan for our lives.  Assure us that You are right there with us, to lead and guide us into the future, and to give us the confidence to face each day with joy.  Amen.