Now, here's the important thing. I have never enjoyed a McDonald's coffee.
I was sitting here asking Meghan and Amanda what I should blog about. They didn't have any ideas. I then said that I am drinking a McDonalds coffee and it's not very good. One of them said, "You already knew that though, right?" Yeah. I did already know that. The other one chimed in with a "Why do you keep drinking it?". I shrugged. It was finally suggested that I blog about that. So, here it is.
I keep ordering coffee at McDonalds because I am a person of hope. One day, I am going to order a coffee and it's going to be amazing. Right? Every time that nice lady asks me what I want to drink with my breakfast I say "Coffee please" always thinking, "It's going to be good today." Ever time I go there I carry with me the hope that it's going to be a good one. And I don't just say to myself that it'll be good. I think it. I believe it (usually until after the first drink). It's also funny because I've always disappointed when it's not good. I'm disappointed like I actually expected it would be good.
Now, why do I not carry that same attitude when it comes to the things of God? Why am I not as hopeful in the healing power of God through his people? Why am I not as hopeful when I attend church? Why do I not order a cup full of the Holy Spirit every time? Ya know what's even more funny about that? I've never been let down when I've made that order.
"What would you like today sir?"
"I will have a large Holy Spirit with one cream and one sugar."
Every time I asked for that it's been amazing. I cannot remember a time when I've been let down. He always shows up. Sometimes it takes longer than others. It usually looks and feels different. He always comes in some form or another. But, how often do I just not expect anything to happen? How often do I just not order the coffee? How often do I deny McDonalds the opportunity to make a great cup? How often to I not give the Holy Spirit the chance to show up?
Am I making sense here?
Sometimes I go into church, or into a situation with less faith, and less hope than I drive up to that little McDonalds window with. Sometimes I don't even order the cup of God's power, glory, might, mercy, grace, etc... I just say, "Oh, well, he might not show up. I'll just get an orange juice." Then, there are other times, when I do order the cup of God, but even before I've had a drink I've already decided that it's not going to be very good. So, there's no hope. I've given it a try, but haven't given it a chance. I've put God in a situation where He has to prove something to me. He has to be good. He has to show up and blow me away. I don't order it knowing that it'll be awesome. The problem with that is that we are putting God in a situation where if he doesn't show up in a big way he's let us down. How many of us like to be put in a situation where we know we have to do something big? Why are we starting God off on the back foot? We also put ourselves into a mode of deciding why the coffee could have been good. "I added 3 sugars instead of the usual 1 this time. That's why it was good." You see, if we already have decided that God's not going to come through we make sure there's plenty of cream and sugar around "just in case". But, when WE add something to God's work WE can then take credit for how WE improved what God gave us. Now, no one would ever say that, but isn't it true in a lot of situations? Don't we come up with plans, just in case the coffee isn't very good today? How much faith are we carrying when we do that? How much hope do we have?
What if we just ordered the coffee every time? What if, every time we did anything we just said, "I'll take what you have God. And I'll take it as you give it. And I know it's going to be good."
What if I carried the same expectation of God as I do that cup of McDonalds coffee? What if I lived with that same hope, that same faith? The day I get that great cup of coffee with be a great day indeed. How much more faithful is God to us than McDonalds? Won't he come through every time? Don't we believe that? Maybe we should start acting like it.
