Coffee Cup

Time for a coffee break! But first, take a good look at your cup. No, not the one containing your coffee. The “cup” that is YOU. The Bible likens you to a vessel. A container created by the Lord. Perhaps your “cup” is dainty and delicate, or maybe it’s strong and sturdy. Breakable like porcelain and dentable like Styrofoam or cardboard. Created perfect, but now sustaining a few cracks or chips, lines or dents from the wear and tear of the world.

In our outward appearance, we carry a message; we make a first impression that says something about us, and we want it to be a good one, so we cover up and smooth over those flaws. We are consumed with the outside look of the CUP, aren’t we? Our appearance, our image, our desire to look good to others. We may even secretly hope others wish they had our cup because we look like we “have it all together.”

Or maybe, as we peer at another woman, she appears to be the one who “has it all together”, and we find ourselves thinking:

“I wish I were more like her, delicate, beautiful & feminine.”

 “If I could just be more like her, strong and practical, not afraid to speak her mind and share her faith!”

  

“Boy, she can really handle a lot – I wish I had her capacity and depth!”

 

“I envy her; she is so sophisticated & modern – a real today’s woman – always on-the-go because she has important places to be!”

  

“She is all that…AND she is eco-friendly!”

Perhaps the envied woman of outer delicate beauty is compensating the only way she knows how, because she feels so ugly within; she thinks very little of herself. Maybe the woman whose appearance is strong & practical is misunderstood or misguided. The woman who appears full of capacity & depth may be overcommitted and drowning inside. And what about the envied sophisticated women-of-today? Are they actually feeling stretched thin, disposable, or even recyclable some days? Do any of these inner flaws speak of us? Maybe in some ways, our cups are a bit like one or more of these.

Those cracks or chips that we’ve covered up? Maybe they are cracked or broken promises, chipped or damaged relationships. Those lines or dents that we’ve smoothed over? Battle lines drawn from anger or bitterness; dents from damage done to ourselves. All these blemishes are patched up and filled in for outward appearances, but the flaws are still within. We scrub, polish, and smooth the outer surface so we come across flawless to others, though inside we are worn out and weary, selfish and stained.

Let’s take a good look inside our vessel - our cup: Stains, visible from the inside, even if not so visible on the outside. Internal damage that even we can’t see. Sin that permeates us.

God loves us so much that He sent His own Son to us in the midst of our stain and sin.  He chose these stained, damaged cups - you and me. Jesus, the sinless and spotless Son of God, endured the agony of death on the cross and He rose again, VICTORIOUS, defeating sin & death for us, so that we might have eternal life & salvation, found only in Him.  We are filled with faith by the power of the Holy Spirit to believe God's promise that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Hold out your stained, damaged cup to Him. He is faithful and just. He is all powerful to forgive you in Jesus Christ; to remove your stains; to cleanse & heal you completely, from the inside out. You are made perfect – presented spotless – flawless – in Him who covers you with His perfection.  Can you believe it?!  It’s true!  Because of God’s freely-flowing favor, your vessel – your cup – contains the love of the Lord: "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5 You are filled with His favor and capable of letting His love overflow onto everyone around you.

Age Defying

“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” Job 12:12

“Age-Defying,” my daughter’s friend, Journey, read the label aloud as we stood next to each other, applying makeup in front of the bathroom mirror. My bottle of foundation made this marvelous claim. “So how’s that workin’ for ya, Mrs. Burma?” Journey continued in her teasing tone.

Not missing a beat, I stroked my cheek while replying, “Beautifully! Why, I look one year younger every day that I apply it. Right now, I’m at age 25. Can’t you tell?”

“Uh, Yeah…right. Sure,” she laughed, along with my 17-year-old daughter, who now stood in the doorway, rolling her eyes at my ridiculous response.

“Don’t deny it…Defy it!” The Revlon© commercial tells me. Okay, so maybe I don’t look 25 anymore… maybe I can’t completely defy my age with my magical makeup. But the claim sure sounds good, doesn’t it? A closer look at my bottle reveals the ingredient, “Botafirm™.” Impressive. Any product containing the word “firm” appeals to a woman over forty (I don’t deny it!) and sounds like it’s worth a try. I found out this mysterious ingredient is a “patented blend” shown to reduce the signs of aging. According to the same commercial, a whopping “95% of women say it visibly helped relax expression lines instantly.”  My amazing make-up also “instantly firms skin” AND “completely covers flaws.”

Most of my life, people have guessed me to be older than I am. And that was great, up until about age 25 when some thought I was in my upper 30’s. (You can imagine where the guessing has gone from there.) At age 36, a store clerk asked me if I would be using my senior discount (ouch).

We become so sensitive about our age, don’t we? Enough to purchase products that claim to help us defy it, because we long to be younger. I mean, who wants to look their age? (Or act it, for that matter!) So I got to thinking, why would I wish to be younger?

(1)   No fine lines. Ah, but a closer look at my “expression lines” reveals years of such skin-stretching exercises brought on by laughter and tears, concern and grief, sorrow and joy.

(2)   Fewer flaws. Wait a minute. Though my flaws have changed in form from acne to age spots, they’ve always been present. The last I checked, my character flaws, my failures, and my flub-ups were just as numerous in my youth as they are now in my more mature years. Oh, for a product that could completely cover these flaws.

(3)   Smaller signs of aging. Ah, but some of those signs are telltale marks of experience, of lessons learned, of understanding and wisdom gained, all by the grace of God.

In His infinite wisdom, our Creator formulated you and me each uniquely with His “patented” blend: our appearances and our abilities, our personalities and our passions, our circumstances and our circles of influence are unlike any other. Christ alone completely covers all our flaws with His perfect forgiveness, purchased for us on the cross and at the empty tomb. I may not always possess the firm skin of my youth, but even better is the Firm Foundation I’ve found in my Savior.

Another birthday looms in the not-too-distant future. As I smooth a little “age defying” makeup over my face, I’ll giggle a little! More importantly, I’ll praise God for another year of life, completely covered by His grace…and I’ll try to act my age – neither denying nor defying it. I’ll continue to pray for wisdom and understanding as I search His perfect Word.