I am always
impressed by those of you who skillfully construct your devotionals using an
acrostic of a baby-inspired word or some other handy memory aid. Every time I
tried to emulate that kind of cleverness I found myself only thinking of works
like “burb”, or “poop”, or “spit up”. None of those seemed very pleasant to
dwell on nor spiritual enough to shape a baby shower devotional around. So,
instead of something about a baby, I thought about what a Mommy might need, and
it didn’t take long before I thought of COFFEE. What Mom doesn’t need COFFEE,
and lots of it?!?!?
Anyone who
knows me knows I love coffee. I love to smell coffee, drink coffee, think about
coffee, bake with coffee, make coffee for friends. We have enjoyed
many a wonderful spiritual conversation over a latte. In the coming days, as this new baby
arrives, you will probably enjoy starting your mornings with coffee to help you wake up, possibly mid-day to help you stay up and maybe even in the evening
simply to relax. In fact, that wouldn’t be a bad model for each of us to
follow, especially when we consider some spiritual COFFEE.
C – Count it
all joy…
James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
When you
think about new babies, the joyful things about mothering seem apparent; those
sweet little feet, and fresh baby smells, the early morning snuggles which grow
into tight toddler hugs, the first time they roll over through to the first
word they utter, all these things brings joy to a mother’s heart.
And here is
where it is important that we make sure that our definition of joy is accurate,
not simply a connotation of joy heavily influenced by joy’s cousin, happy. Happiness
is a fleeting emotion, consider this scenario with me:
My husband made me coffee, I am now happy.
Fast forward twenty-seven seconds when…
My child spills my coffee, I am now unhappy.
Happiness is
transient and quickly affected by my surrounding circumstances. On the other
hand, joy is an enduring contentedness, having joy in the Lord allows us to enjoy all
that the Lord has given to us, and this is what James is taking about as he
commands us to “Count it all joy.”
The only
trial that seems to exist in those first babymoon weeks is how to get enough
sleep to function or think clearly the next day. But not long into mommying
other trials appear, like the first time your baby cries inconsolably through
the night, or the first time that sweet little toddler stomps their foot down
and clearly says, “NO!”, then there is the reoccurring nightmare at 3am or the
mysterious fluid in the hallway.
We have shared the experience of waiting for the Pediatric Oncologist to come in, hoping
to be told why your baby is so sick, only to hear that not even the most
special of pediatric specialists is sure what is making your little boy so ill.
These are the moments when the words of James need to echo in our ears, “Count
it all joy.”
James tells
us these trials will come – “when you meet trials of various kinds” – not if,
he says, but when. James even tells us why they come – “for you know that the
testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Then, Romans 5:3-5 Paul tells us,
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and
hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Come back for the "O"...
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