Let me paint a picture for you.
Every morning, I wake up (promptly) at 5:45 am to the sound of the rooster crowing right outside of the window of my bunk room. (I used to think that maybe the 5:45 thing was God telling me to look up something in the Bible that has to do with that reference, but so far, it really has just been the rooster. Maybe that’ll change. Hey God, do your thing with that one) After laying in my bed for a solid, you know, two and a half more hours, I roll out of bed and grab my bible and journal and head out to reserve my spot in our common room, and then make my way to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee.
Something to understand about beautiful Swaziland is that smiles come in abundance, and so does the instant coffee. That’s about all we can find here, and I truly am grateful for it. But, again, it is all we have; until I stumbled in the kitchen one bright morning and found Annalise creating something that I knew would change my life in Swaziland forever.
(wow. Really glad I’m not dramatic or anything when it comes to writing these posts.)
I recall so many times back in my days of working in a coffee shop about the JOY I would get whenever a customer would order a pour over. (shoutout to my river road crew. Miss you guys so much!) There’s something about the method of brewing it that just brings so much comfort and individualization, and I just love it so much. She definitely saw me start eyeing her method as we were in the middle of our conversation about how we both had slept the previous night, and asked me,
“do you want me to make you a cup too?”
The heavens opened and angels rejoiced at that very moment in time.
(Sorry again for the dramatization.)
Another fact about these pour-overs is that they take time; patience is required.
Let’s take a moment to talk about PATIENCE.
It’s something I so badly wished I possessed in the level I want it too. Sure, I can wait 5 minutes for a cup of coffee to brew, but when it comes to waiting on the Lord and being patient in an answer or seeking some kind of direction, I’m at a TOTAL loss. Unfortunately, I’m sort of a basket case about it too.
I think we all seek a form of instant gratification, but I’m quickly beginning to realize, whether or not I like it, that’s not really how God works. I used to think that because I wasn’t getting an answer immediately after making a request known that I did something wrong, but now I’m seeing the BEAUTY in a slow response. Guess what!! In my waiting, I have the privilege of diving into the word of God and immersing myself in him and soaking in his character and increasing my intimacy with him. In this increase, I find my answer. I think that’s been the mystery this whole time.
Guess what else? You get to do that too!
Right now, you may be faced with a big decision, or an idea, or a relationship, or a question, or literally anything that some input from the creator of the universe would be really useful in, and you’re not receiving anything from him. Don’t retreat back into old patterns of waiting- walk and immerse and study and soak him IN. He’s not leaving you hanging; He never has.
Just in case anyone was wondering, Annalise makes a pretty slam cup of coffee.
*this post was originally written sometime in October 2018. Believe it or not, time doesn’t actually exist whatsoever in Africa, so I don’t know the exact date all these thoughts were poured on this little piece of virtual paper.
**Just an update from the time that this post was actually posted: I AM CURRENTLY IN NEPAL. Lol sorry for how literally awful I am to updating my blog! Now that there is more access to wifi, I promise you this will change!
***QUICK REMINDER I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO ANY OF THIS WITHOUT YOUR UNENDING LOVE AND SUPPORT. To my friends and fam and supporters reading this, I miss you all immensely and feel so blessed to have you all. If you’re reading this and don’t fit into any of the above roles, I pray these words hit you deep and leave an impact that God uses to change the world. !!!
(Follow me on Instagram, @liazr.d, to continue keeping up with my journey!)
