For both health and spiritual reasons, I have felt for sometime that I need to give up my afternoon cup of coffee. \u00a0Of course, I don\u2019t want to. \u00a0Or better said, I don’t want to around 2:30pm. \u00a0In the morning I’m willing, but by afternoon I’m feeling hungry and uninspired. \u00a0In the middle of a busy day, this simple pleasure feels like just what I need.<\/p>\n
Most of us have things we turn to to brighten up our life: \u00a0music, coffee, a glass of wine, novels, TV shows, sports and games. \u00a0We think of them as reprieves, treats, distractions, pick-me-ups, soothers or calmers. \u00a0 Often they are good things, blessings, and we enjoy them. \u00a0But over time, particularly in difficult moments, we can begin to turn to and lean on these good things. \u00a0And that’s where the problem begins. \u00a0When we lean on something other than the Lord, we risk developing an attachment to something that will fail to provide what we truly need.<\/p>\n
I had a client once who told me that as a young girl she would daydream when it was time to go to sleep. \u00a0She was so good at it, creating delightful scenarios in her head, that it became effortless. \u00a0Often she wasn’t even aware of starting one – it was just there, playing out in her mind as she slipped into bed. \u00a0Decades later she was having a hard time turning them off. \u00a0So much so that before her head hit the pillow another one was underway. \u00a0The problem, in her mind, was that they had become immoral and inappropriate. \u00a0When she tried to clean them up they didn’t feel as good. \u00a0When she tried to stop all together she started to feel depressed. \u00a0Her daydreams had become the highlight of her day. \u00a0And this bothered her even more, for she deeply loved God and she understood what this said to Him about the life He had given her: \u00a0“Not good enough. \u00a0I can do better.”<\/p>\n
Like my client, a lot of our attachments begin innocently. \u00a0It’s been a long day and we want to relax and watch a favorite TV show. \u00a0Nothing wrong with that (unless it’s The Bachelor). \u00a0But the next night, weary again, we turn the TV on looking for some easy way to wind down and disconnect from the challenges of the day. \u00a0And before we recognize what has happened, the TV is our go to place for relaxation, or, maybe just distraction. \u00a0And that is when our needed break has turned into a soul numbing habit.<\/p>\n
I tried making changes to how I consumed my afternoon attachment in hopes of finding a way to keep it. \u00a0I became more intentional in thanking the Lord for my lovely treat and I tried to use my sipping time to praise and fellowship with Him. \u00a0Neither God nor I bought it, for it was still so much about the coffee. \u00a0And though I enjoyed the taste, it was clear it did not give me the lift in my spirit I was looking for. \u00a0It also became obvious that I relied on this cup of comfort for something it could not consistently deliver. \u00a0And since the Lord wants me leaning into Him not coffee, yesterday was my last day with an afternoon cup … at least for a while … I’m sensing one on Thanksgiving and one on Christmas would be ok.<\/p>\n
I know there will be days when I really want that latte. \u00a0I also know that anytime we are trying to break a habit, we need to have something else to turn towards instead of what we are giving up. \u00a0I can genuinely say that I look forward to what the Lord has for me instead coffee – something deeper and richer with Him. \u00a0I also know that what I feel now, at 6am, will be very different at 2:30pm. \u00a0I will need to remember that I am seeking something better. \u00a0I will need the Holy Spirit working in me, renewing me, strengthening me. \u00a0I feel a little dramatic writing that. \u00a0How hard can it be to give up a cup of coffee (eye roll<\/em>)? \u00a0But I know me and there will be days when it will be a struggle. \u00a0Or, I will forget all together and the habit of my heart will quite naturally turn to that which I love. \u00a0Doesn’t the word tell us that where our treasure is, there also our heart (Matt 6:21)? \u00a0So, I’m not just giving up the afternoon latte, I’m learning to love it less.<\/p>\n There is so much more to say on this topic, so I will continue this discussion next week.<\/p>\n And, hey … can you do me a favor? \u00a0I recently added a link at the bottom of this page where you can “like” this post. \u00a0If you “like” it, would you click that link? \u00a0I have no idea what will happen if you do, but I’m curious to find out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For both health and spiritual reasons, I have felt for sometime that I need to give up my afternoon cup of coffee. \u00a0Of course, I don\u2019t want to. \u00a0Or better said, I don’t want to around 2:30pm. \u00a0In the morning I’m willing, but by afternoon I’m feeling hungry and uninspired. \u00a0In the middle of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}