Inside the Cup

Not sure if you are a coffee drinker, tea drinker, or just plain old water. But the Alexanders love all of the above, especially coffee. Some of our favorite past time memories have birthed within the 4 walls of a coffee shop. A few years ago Paul and I skipped out early from a Christmas party for coffee and cards at a local Starbucks with our good friends, Gokees. Well, to no one's surprise, I play cards at an exuberant level. Well, I became so excited that I accidently spilled my hot coffee...........in Paul's lap. And to top it off, I also snagged my necklace on my pinky and beads flew everywhere. Needless to say, the loud chuckles and belly laughs drowned out Paul's grave disappointment with his new 'hot pants'. That is so typical for me! Believe it or not, we spill out each day, emotionally, verbally, and spiritually. I've recently been challenged to think about the types of things 'spilling' out of me. John Ortberg wrote "When someone bumps into me, what spills out of me reveals what is inside of me." Hmmm......so how do I respond when life or people bump into me?? For some reason, I have a magnet on my forehead that reads "all rude people, please be rude to me!". Well that is precisely how some days feel. Just the other day I was in Paradise Bakery, when a young woman approached our table and blurted out "I want you guys to know we have a 6 month old sitting on our laps and no high chair for him." Apparently, that was her way of asking for Lincoln's child seat.So we took our toddler out of his chair, put him in our laps and gave her the seat. She is entitled to it and more important than us, right? Wrong!!!!!! I was steaming like an engine when she walked away and fortunately my husband was there or..........who knows! I was bumped into that day and love, patience, and even gentleness did not spill out of me. There was certainly stuff spilling out of me; but it was pride, anger, disgust, and self-righteousness. I mean, who talks to people like that?! Everyday we are buzzing through life and jolting this way and that way. We are always going to be rubbed the wrong way, whether it's in a relationship, job, or some brief encounter with a stranger. We can't control their tone or what they say but we can most certainly choose our words and soften our actions. Next time I'm hoping to spill out something that is healthy and contagious.