Seems like a simple request to me. After a good lunch, a well-brewed, full-bodied cup of coffee to finish off the meal seems like an easy wish to grant. Everyone has coffee, right? No big deal. Just place the order and it’s mine.
The problem with that is, of the hundreds of places to purchase coffee, only a fraction of them actually offer a “good” cup of coffee. Or, more precisely, a cup of coffee that lives up to my standards.
So I am left scouring the town to find the truly great cups of coffee, enjoying them only at strange times of the day when I can get free and visit those who serve “the good stuff.”
I suppose my real frustration is, if we all know what constitutes a “good” cup of coffee, why is it so hard to find places that brew one? Why are there so many varieties, degrees, roasts, blends, strengths, sizes, flavors and brands? Why don’t we just find The Coffee and brew it everywhere? Why can’t we just decide which one is the best and get everyone on board? On board with The Coffee. Then, everywhere I go, I can just order a cup of coffee and know exactly what I’ll get. The right bean, the right roast, the right grind, the right water, the right brewer, the right creamer, the right sugar, the right cup…The Coffee. I think I’m on to something here!
But, then again, there are those I run into who would say, “I’d just rather have a cup of McDonald’s coffee.”
WHAT?!!?
Now, don’t get me wrong. McDonald’s has made some strides in bringing a decent coffee to the market, but it’s still way short of being The Coffee. It’s still sub-par. It’s still just ok. Why would you prefer that? Why wouldn’t you want the best? Why wouldn’t you want…
what I consider to be the best, at least?
But, what is the best? Which coffee deserves that lofty title? Well, I haven’t exactly found it just yet, but I’m convinced it’s out there somewhere. And once it’s found, everyone will be on board. Everyone will be drinking The Coffee. It’ll be a whole new coffee world.
Or will it?
Surely, if that cup of Cafe Amistad I drink at church on Sunday mornings blows the doors off McDonald’s coffee, I could convince everyone to switch. At least those within my sphere of influence. Surely, I could make them see their ignorance and make them switch. They’ll thank me for it in the end! They will…I’m pretty sure…sort of.
But what if the coffee they prefer actually suits them better? What if the caffeine content is just right for their blood pressure? Or the lighter flavor works better for their taste buds? What if their choice of a “lesser” coffee is in fact a conscious decision? What if my eloquence in enlightening their ignorant decision simply fails because the coffee they selected is one that fits them? Then what? What happens to The Coffee?
It never happens at all, then…
I’ll never have my “one coffee fits all” scenario…
Because people have opinions, choices, decisions, tastes, and personalities. Different people, different coffees. It’s not a one-size-fits-all world we live in.
We like different cars, different foods, different homes, different phones, different politics, different morals, different shoes, different clothes, different differences, different, different, different!
So why do we, as followers of Jesus, think that everyone must fit into our molds? Why does one person look “Christian” and another doesn’t? Why do we have molds? Where did they even come from, anyway? Who made them?
Jesus gave us an example to follow. He showed us the way, gave us the truth and opened our eyes to the light. Some get it and some don’t. But everyone is beckoned. Everyone hears the whisper in their heart. Some respond this way and some respond that way. Who decided it was our job to decide which response is correct? What is correct? And when did any of us inherit the right to judge?
If we weren’t so caught up in figuring out how we are different, maybe we wouldn’t have so many denominations and divisions and separations. Maybe we wouldn’t just have different churches for location’s sake. Maybe all of Elizabethtown could be one church instead of hundreds. Maybe we could look at others who respond to Jesus a bit differently than us and realize that it is ok. Maybe we would realize that as long as we believe He was the Son of God, He died and rose again, and because of that sacrifice, all who believe are Children of God, maybe we could let the things that aren’t central to that faith not get in the way of us being brothers and sisters in that faith. Maybe we could rise above all our differences and start making a difference in the world and people around us. Maybe. Just maybe.
But we all have to realize, The Coffee doesn’t exist. My way isn’t your way all the time. My faith and your faith don’t have to look the same all the time. Your response to Jesus and mine don’t have to match. We don’t have to be clones. We just have to believe in Jesus and respond. And what I’m learning is, by removing judgement, I’m free to experience and understand just what it means to truly be free in Christ. I’m learning what it means to respond to this Jesus in a new and real way. I’m learning what it means to be completely covered in Grace. I’m learning that this really is something awesome to share with people. I’m learning…and that’s the point, right?
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