Coffee is one of my life values. Hear me out.
We were asked to think about and write 3-5 life values during our time in Georgia. As the Race has gone on, the words I use to express my values have morphed. For today, as I sit in Costa Rica sipping a rich cup of coffee, I wanted to tell you why coffee is one of my core values.
This February as the season of Lent came around I started asking God what I needed to give up. Being on the Race meant I had already given up a lot and I really couldn’t think of anything more. Then, a voice that was definitely NOT my own, said “Coffee.” My flesh wanted to give up literally anything but that. For THAT reason, I knew coffee is what I needed to give up. God was asking me “Do you truly rely on Me to provide your energy?” And even more so while traveling, “Do you rely on Me to provide for my digestive health?” Haha. If God is truly a God who provides then I knew I could trust Him to provide in these simple ways. Man, was He so faithful to come through. I learned so much about reliance and where my comfort comes from in the fast.
All this to say, coffee is not a necessity. But the distance from it made me realize why I appreciate it so much. It is what coffee represents that makes it one of my values. Coffee first makes me think of the thousands of hours spent sipping a rich roast while soaking in rich Scripture. Coffee represents prioritizing intimacy with the Lord. It doesn’t stop there though. Coffee also represents rich community with shared experiences, laughter, and vulnerability.
Coffee is about knowing my seat at the Table and about pulling up seats for others too. It’s about daily being poured into so I can pour over into others. I may look back on choosing this as one of my values and think it is cheesy, but I think the sentiment of belonging both in a place of intimacy and in one of community is an eternal value that I can grow into.
Coming from a season of no literal coffee, it been such a gift to enjoy SO many cups here in Costa Rica! Here, I have my first cup of coffee in the morning with the Lord (intimacy) and then most afternoons we have “coffee time” on the base to take a break all together (community). A sweet living out of this value of mine.
So what does this value mean for you? It is a challenge to always start from a place of intimacy and reliance on the Father coupled with the question of how you can invite others into the same space. Call the value coffee; call it beans; call it table; call it mesa; call it simply walking as Jesus; the point is still the same. Draw near to Him (James 4:8) and draw others in too (Matthew 28:18).
Shalom,
Abby
P.S. Stay tuned for a super fun week in the life with photos next week! We had some adventures that I can’t wait to share!
