Today's reading

And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. –Ephesians 5:2 NIV

September 8, 2019

Addicted to the Bean

And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. –Ephesians 5:2 NIV

My mom loved coffee. I can remember watching her open a new can, smell it, and then eat a spoonful of the grounds. If she were alive today, she would love Starbucks. Coffee beans by themselves have an aroma, but the true flavor of the coffee only comes out when the beans are ground. Grinding the beans doesn’t produce the flavor; it releases what’s already inside the bean. We are very similar. Have you ever been in a situation where something happens and your response was less than loving? Just as surely as grinding coffee beans brings out what’s already inside of them, uncomfortable situations release what’s already inside of us. If we respond negatively, it’s because that attitude is already in our hearts. Others don’t cause bad responses, trying circumstances just release them. Maybe we’re just having an inner conflict over who we really are. If we solve the inner turmoil, the outer behavior will change. We alone control our responses, it’s no one else’s fault when we react wrongly. Maybe it’s time we took responsibility for our actions, owned them, and did something positive about it. May what happens in life release our inner joy, and may we express the aroma of God.

prayer focuses

May we focus more on what’s coming out of us than what’s going in.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. May we guard our hearts.

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about the

Author

Brenda Beattie

Brenda Beattie is a retired letter carrier and an active Chaplain for the USPS. She and her husband retired to Bradenton because they loved their church, Bayside Community Church. She has self-published two books, "Finding Sacred Ground In The Daily Grind," and "The Case Of The Missing Letter." She is also a repeat author for "Chicken Soup For The Soul." Her articles appear monthly in the "Mountaineer," a postal publication. Her hearts desire is to encourage and to give hope.