God's Coffee

I recently Graduated High school and am currently embarking in a new adventure. Even though it has only been days, i still talk to all my best friends and have even spoken to one or two teachers. I wonder if years from now i will be able to get together with them and discuss life.

I came across a story of a group of alumni getting together to talk about their lives, this is how it went:

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." God brews the coffee, not the cups...Enjoy your coffee!

Maybe today you find yourself in an overwelming situation. Maybe you are reflecting on your life and for some reason your not satisfied with what you have. Maybe you thought your life would be different. Maybe you are seeing other peoples lives and wishing it was your life.

God brews the coffee, and he has made sure it is EXACTLY what you need, perhaps you are paying too much attention to the cup. Think about it, without the cup is it still not coffee? Be grateful because God has given you life, something more than 500 people did not have today alone.

If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want." ~Oscar Wilde

One-thumb up!

I heard the story about a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he had grown up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" to which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area wherein he should have known not to hunt. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village.They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came close to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way

Though this story may be funny, its message is amazing. Is everything that bothers you bad? Have you ever stepped out of your natural perspective on good and bad and consider the fact that what may be an adversity for you is serving as a blessing?

I have witnessed people that have broken there foot and in their "adversity" they have seen that they can no longer go to the places they normally would. This is NOT to say that God punishes people and breaks legs, but instead He allows things to happen to help us. A friend of mine who often spent weekends at clubs and parties doing reckless things and being ruthless, was unfortunately jumped in one of those parties and ended up with a broken foot. What happened? He could no longer attend the parties and had more time to reflect on his decisions. My friend, and brother in Christ is now a christian and has had the opportunity to share his testimony in various churches. This is a perfect example about how adversity isn't ALWAYS adversity.

Your attitude is still able to change despite the uncontrollable situations that you will find yourself in. The friend told the king "this is good" despite the situation, little did the king know that THIS very situation would one day save his life. Some people love to be in the GOOD situations and WHINE about the bad situations. In the words of a very known pastor "bloom where you are planted".

Acknowledge that your situations are but a stepping stone in what will one day be your testimony. Through your experiences many people will come to know Jesus:

"Dude, i was in that same situation and look what God did"<--- this will be you IF you can overcome the challenge of Glorifying God in the midst of adversity. Have you had any problems lately? Feel like your in a terrible situation? Don't know what to do? Answer: Glorify God! In the few you were faithful in the great i will place you, said the Lord. God can possibly be saving your life. He can possible be strengthening your testimony. He could possible be saving you. Keep pressing on, you don't ever know when your missing thumb will be a vital blessing. Verses to read
Deuteronomy 31:8, Exodus 33:14, Psalm 16:8, Psalm 27: 1, 3, Proverbs 29:25, Proverbs 18:10, Jeremiah 16:19