The Cup

                                            

 It was a beautiful Saturday in South Georgia. I happened to find myself at a store I enjoy browsing through from time to time. I happened to find myself in the coffee cup section of housewares. Let me just begin by saying this particular brand of coffee mug has been a mainstay in my ministry for a long time now. I love to give away coffee mugs to people. Equally, I love to receive coffee mugs. I pray for the person who gave me the mug each time I drink from it. Some mugs have a certain feeling they give off. You know, some days I feel like a dainty cup on a pedestal that boasts reds and blues in floral print. Other days I need a monochromatic stoneware mug that screams- I will slay the devil today, in my pjs, and will do this feeling chic. Thank you Joanna Gaines for your Hearth and Hand with magnolia line of stoneware mugs. Every time I shop at this store and find a treasured coffee mug and I feel as though I've hit a bullseye. 

I found a stoneware mug this particular day. It is white and tan in color and has letters stamped into the clay on the front of the mug. It is a short, simple, timeless mug. What caught my eye about the cup was its inscription. It read: RESTORE. The definition of the word came to my mind's eye quickly. I told my friend who was with me that this is a good word. A strong word! And I am a girl who loves to focus on certain words for the year at hand...with God's leading- of course.

I am the girl who takes the last week of December to sit down and do a full spiritual inventory of the past year. I compare it to the grace goals I felt needed to be set for myself. I look back at the words I prayed over the year before and detail in writing the times that those words were made flesh in my life. It's a process that I adore. I love that I don't shy away from the hard topics on my self assessment. 

Back to this mug that has captivated all of my thoughts in the houseware section. Restore means to bring back, return to a previous state, repair, renovate, recover, to adjust back together. I googled the meaning right then and there to glean all of the knowledge I could about the totality of this word. Immediately people came to mind who are seeking restoration in their lives, their families, their spiritual walk with Christ. I was flooded with the thought of how good this word is. God being the essence of Good, it made sense that this word would bring Him honor. So, I bought the mug. In fact, I bought 2 of them. I gave one away and kept one for myself. 

The first day I woke up with my new mantra in my house, I made a strong french press cup of coffee. I watched this mug as the steam swirled atop the hot, black velvety smooth coffee below it. (Y'all- I know coffee. It's delicate and I take my one cup each morning very seriously, but I'm not one of the "Jesus and"....kind of girls. It's Jesus and nothing else. That's periodt. Coffee while spending time in the Word with Jesus suits me just fine, but let's stop with the "all I need is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus." Sister, you just need Jesus. Nothing else. Quit smashing in your agenda with the King of Kings.) It was a beautiful sight. I held it in the palm of my hand and took a picture. I sent out a picture message to some sisters about this newly discovered mug and my new word.

I sat down to read the Word and journal. I kept thinking about the word restore. I have basically adopted it for my own at this point. What was supposed to be a prayerful reminder for those that I love who are in a season of waiting on restoration turned into me looking through the card catalog of my life. I realized very quickly that restore was not my word, nor was the Lord calling me to seek restoration anywhere. You know what I mean ladies? Like that time that you and your little friends sat down and had a pow wow and told each other all the things that get on your nerves about each other? How did that pan out for ya? Gracious alive...

This quick trip revealed that I as a person am the epitome of restoration. I was lost in my sin and had no idea how powerful God's stubborn love was until He restored me to a right relationship with Him. I was reminded of all the times I should have died while drinking away the void I couldn't fill before age 20. I saw the careless ways I slung myself around trying to find validation and feel beautiful because of whose arm I was on. I quickly recalled all of the times I had lied, hurt the ones I loved, played the church, pretended to be a church going girl...when in reality- God knew all of these things were lies. He saw them all. Every sip, every hit, every puff, every lie, every tear when I was alone at night. and if He saw all of this and still came after me, He could do anything. The filth in my life prior to coming to knowing the Lord didn't deter Him from telling me that I was lovely, that He saw worth in me, that I was precious, priceless, adored, held, wanted. But how?

I remember sitting at the table with my new mug that I adored and blinking quickly to stop the trip down memory lane. I realized that the word captivated me because it is who I am. Not what I am in need of. In the south we make it a practice of wearing t-shirts with the word Grace on it. We write it out in pretty font. We sing the word on Sunday morning. All of this, while never fully grasping that grace was and is God's stubborn love and pursuit of us at our worst. Before I knew Him, He knew me. Before I was aware of His presence in my life, He was guarding me. His grace sustained me when I should have been dead. His grace carried me when I should have wrecked my life and complicated it with more drama. His stubborn gaze- always fixed on me when I was unaware of it. Afterall, He is the hound of heaven. Always in the shadows watching over His own. Restore was not to be a word I took for my own because I was in need restoration now. I have already fully grasped it's totality. I have settled the finality of it's meaning for all of eternity in my life. 

What about you? Are you in need of restoration? Do you need to find peace with the one who made you to love, serve, and worship Him? Do you need to return to His loving fold? You know, a sheep only lies down in the pasture in the presence of it's most trusted shepherd? Restore..bring back to a right relationship. I think what is most lovely about this thought is that re- means do it again. And again. And again...as many times as it takes. He will take you back. Come to His pasture. There is rest for your weary soul. And restoration for each one who seeks it.

As for The Cup- it needs a new home. It's not for me. Beautiful as it may be, I wrestled it out and found that it needs a new home. If you would like to wrestle out some hard truths let me know. I'll be going to the post office in the morning.

P.S. Feel free to mail me a coffee mug. I would love to remember you in prayer each time I use your cup. I love cultivating relationships intentionally. I will be sure to send you one as well! We can never have too many people calling out to the Lord on our behalf. 


His Beloved

P.O. Box 290

Hillsboro, Alabama

35643

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