It had been over a year since I’d had an early morning visit with my mom. The children were still sleeping, and as I shared how life was going, she buttered toast and poured coffee into cups with matching saucers. Saucers. I smiled, picturing the mugs I had stacked in my cupboard.
“No sugar. Just milk. Right?”
“Right.” Outside, the yellow light of our rural mail carrier’s car caught my eye. ” I’ll get it.”
“But you don’t have any shoes on.”
“I’ll be fine. Dad almost has the grass touching, and it’s already getting warm.”
“I’m not surprised. The weatherman said Houston was headed for the high nineties today.”
When I returned, the thick, rough pile of a faded welcome mat by the kitchen door cleaned the dew-damp grass from the soles of my feet.
“Not much here today,” I said, laying the tiny bundle of bills and advertisements on the table. I reached for my coffee, took a sip, and sprayed it from my mouth halfway across the room.
“Honey! You okay?”
“Mom, this is hot!”
“Of course, it’s hot. It’s supposed to be hot. It’s coffee.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Mom. It’s just that I never have time to drink it while it’s hot.”
The baby cried, and we both laughed. “Well, today you can. Sit down and enjoy it while I take care of Little Miss.”
Now, a grandmother myself, I sipped a perfect cup of coffee—not too hot, and not too cold—flipping through a magazine and laughed again as I read:
Mom’s Recipe for Iced Coffee.
- Have kids.
- Make coffee.
- Forget you made coffee.
- Drink it cold.
And with Mother’s Day quickly coming up, I thought I’d better remind you to warn any moms around you that the coffee may be hot.
Jesus talked about liquid temperatures too, and how undesirable lukewarm water was. He used the analogy to describe God’s dislike for spiritually lukewarm people. Those who profess Christianity but are only going through the motions. They’ve never developed an intimate relationship with Him. They are neither on fire for Christ nor cold with an indifferent heart attitude. Here’s what He had to say about that:
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16
I don’t want to be that kind of person, and I pray the Holy Spirit will help me heed the warning the apostle Paul gave to his protégé, Timothy, . . .to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you. 2 Timothy 1:6
It’s easy to let the fire go out. Let’s keep fanning the flames!
Great Gift Idea: One of the best Mother’s Day gifts I ever received was a box of strawberries—and they weren’t dipped in chocolate.
