Tea With a Friend is the Best Kind of Tea

I had a friend stop by yesterday to drop off donations for an outreach which I am a part of (His Hands & Feet Ministry).  The outreach was low on dishes, so my friend was kind enough to donate some dishes she no longer was using.  Before she came, I looked in my cupboard to see what I could mix up that would be easy but tasty and found Beer Bread Mix from Tastefully Simple.  I invited her in for a cup of hot tea, and we sat at my kitchen table and chatted until the bread was baked.  Then we cut into the bread (which was very tasty, by the way--thanks Tastefully Simple for a yummy and easy treat).  The bread did need to bake for 50-55 minutes, but we had no problem chatting for that length of time.  Actually, we ended up sitting there and chatting about anything and everything for 3 hours!  It seemed like it had been only 15 minutes--time flies when you are having tea with a friend!  My husband teased me later when he saw a beer can sitting on the counter for the recycling bin.  He said, "I see you had a beer while I was at work."  He knows I hate the taste of beer! (Sorry beer lovers, but I'll take tea over beer any day, but it tasted great in the bread!)

The reason I write this is because I told my friend as she was leaving that I felt like it was an old-fashioned visit, that I could remember my mom inviting neighbors or family or friends in for a cup of hot tea and all of us sitting and chatting for a long time, and I remember loving that.  It is a very fond memory.  I don't feel that happens much any longer because we are all too busy.  It was really a treat, and I hope to be able to lighten my schedule whenever possible to enjoy an old-fashioned visit with a cup of hot tea with a good friend! My friend's and my visit yesterday is and will in the future be a fond memory!  Tea with a friend is surely the best kind of tea!

Faith is Like a Cup of Tea

Faith Is Like a Cup of Tea

I love tea!  I even love making tea!  Just the thought of the process of putting the water on to boil helps me to slow down and start to relax a bit.  When I need a break or just need to warm up a little on a cool day, I walk to the kitchen, fill the kettle with some water from the faucet filter, turn the burner up to high, and set the kettle on the burner.  Then I walk over to where I store my many varieties of tea and choose a flavor for this cup of tea.  Which do I want: black tea, green tea, loose tea or a bag, decaf or regular?  Somehow I always seem to know just which one I want.  I select the tea, put it in a pretty teacup (which I also had to select from amongst many different sizes and designs), and wait.  While I wait for the water to boil, I usually do some small chore that will only take me about as long as the water will take to boil; that way, I feel like I checked another box on my list of things to do today and helped make the time seem shorter until I could finish making my tea.  Once I hear the whistle on the kettle start to “scream,” I pour the water into my teacup and, again, I wait.  Now I can find another small chore that can be accomplished in a matter of 2 to 5 minutes while I allow the tea to flavor the hot water in my cup.  Yay!  Another small chore competed, and now my tea is just about ready.  I take the teabag or loose tea diffuser out of the cup.  I put a teaspoon or so of honey in my tea (although sometimes I will use a tsp. of sugar instead), sometimes add some soy milk (if I think this flavor of tea will be enhanced by it), stir, and then find a comfy chair in which to sit for a spell (a spell usually only being about 15 minutes or so, but a very nice 15 minutes).  Now, time to enjoy that delicious and relaxing cup of tea! 

I know you are probably wondering, “What does making a cup of tea have to do with faith?”  The next time you make a cup of tea, think of the symbolism involved with faith.  First there is the love of tea—symbolism here is our love for God and His love for us.  He is in love with us, and we should be in love with Him.  We should look forward to time with Him and look forward to stopping during our day to relax in the comfort that God is going through our day alongside us.  When we turn our thoughts to God, it helps us to slow down and breathe, just as we turn to making a cup of tea to help us slow down and breathe. 

God is like a teakettle.  It’s really not such a stretch to think of God when you look at your teakettle.  Just as we pour water into a teakettle, we pour our hearts out to God—our fears, our anxieties, our concerns, but also, hopefully, our praises and thanksgiving.  And just as our teakettle has a handle, God has a handle on our concerns and can handle every one of them perfectly!

Think of the water you get from the water filter, which you then pour into the kettle, and remember that you must filter what you allow your mind to think about.  Use your mind’s filter to filter out the world’s noise, confusion and negativity.  Focus instead on God and His love.  You can choose what you think about, but you do have to catch yourself as to what you are thinking about.  Focus!

Next, we set the teakettle on the burner and turn up the heat, expecting that the water will be heated to boiling.  We don’t second guess that the burner will get hot enough or that, for some other reason, the water won’t boil.  This is how strong our faith should be.  Just like we don’t second guess the burner will do its work, we should not second guess that God will work on our behalf if we go to Him and trust Him.  Trust is key here.  In Matthew 17:30 we read, "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." You don’t have to be a superhero saint to get God’s attention, but you must practice some faith (when we practice something, we keep trying over and over again until we get better).  So have faith that God hears your prayers and expect Him to help all things turn out just fine.

The next time you choose which teabag you want, think about the Bible.  When we have difficulties and challenges or praises, we can choose particular Bible verses that speak to our particular needs.  Choose the Bible verses that help you, write them on index cards (or recipe cards—a recipe for how to make a solution with God’s help), or store the verses to memory.

What does the teacup symbolize?  Without the teacup, where would you put the hot water and teabag?  It acts as a receptacle for our tea.  It is open and ready to hold what we pour into it.  Likewise, without open and ready hearts, we would have nowhere to receive God’s love.  And just as we choose a beautiful teacup, we can choose beautiful words and thoughts, God’s words and thoughts, to pour into our hearts.  Why not choose one of your favorite teacups and begin the practice of filling it with your favorite Bible verses, written on small slips of paper.  Keep your teacup someplace special.  Then, when you need a reminder that God is with you, go to your special teacup and read through some of the Bible verses.  In this way, you refresh your mind and strengthen your trust in God. 

What does all of the waiting for the water to boil and waiting for the tea to steep symbolize about faith?  Waiting is part of life—a lot of waiting. Remember, when you set a kettle of water on to boil, you must wait!  The water doesn’t boil in the blink of an eye.  But while I wait, I like to accomplish a small task.  Similarly, while I wait on God to work, I don’t sit idly by and do nothing.  I pray, I worship, I do what I can to work towards a solution, but I try to wait patiently.  That’s the hard part, but one of the fruits the Spirit gives us is patience.  Trust that God knows all about your concerns, pray for his continual guidance, and have faith that He loves you and is working all things together for your good.  You have to trust that He knows what He’s doing!  If I didn’t wait for the water to boil, I would have lukewarm water and the flavor of the tea would be lost!  If you move ahead without praying and waiting on God’s timing, you will get lukewarm, if not bad, results to your problems, and life can lose a little bit of its flavor!

When I hear the teakettle “scream,” I know the water is boiling hot!  We often hear that God can speak to us in “a still small voice.”  But I believe God sometimes has to scream to get us to hear Him.  When someone treats you unkindly, how loud does God have to speak to you to get you to forgive?  When I hear my teakettle, I will try to think about whether there is someone with whom I am angry,  Matthew 5:23-24: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”  I’ll try not to make God have to scream in order to get me to hear Him.

Can even a used-up teabag cause us to think of God?  Sure!  When you are ready to throw out the used tea, think about throwing away your negative thoughts and doubts!  Dump them in the trash and be rid of them.  And just like our teabags, we need to get rid of negativity on a daily basis; it’s a continual process and something that needs to be done on a daily basis!  It gets rid of the stink!

Even the teaspoon with which we measure out our honey is symbolic of faith. Jesus talked about having a measure of faith. Jesus told us we did not have to have an abundance of faith to move mountains.  He said we need to have “…faith as small as a mustard seed, and you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20.  Likewise, it sounds like Jesus is saying that we only need a teaspoon of faith to get God to act on our behalf.  Imagine what might happen, however, if you PRACTICE FAITH, and you end up with lots more than just a teaspoon.  I bet God would love that!  Practice, practice, practice, and without trials, we would not get any practice!

If you use honey or sugar in your tea, let this remind you of God’s sweet Spirit.  Pray that He will allow you to have that same sweet spirit toward whomever you encounter that day, even if the people you meet don’t deserve it!  God is sweet towards us, and Jesus died on the cross for us, and we didn’t and don’t deserve it!  Thank God for his grace and mercy!

Now your tea is made and you sit down in that comfy chair for a few minutes of relaxation.  Think of that chair as God’s lap!  He is ready to hold you, comfort you, and you are special to Him.  When you sit, take a few minutes to notice all your blessings!  It puts a whole new perspective on your mood! 

Enjoy your tea!  Enjoy God for He enjoys you!  He loves when you spend time with Him, think about Him, pray to Him, and worship Him!  He is so worthy!  The next time you make a cup of tea, think about faith, and may your “cup runneth over” with it! 

Locker Hooking

I discovered this old craft at a quilting/cross stitch store in Grantsville, MD.  I decided to purchase the materials necessary to try it, and have just begun a rug.  So far so good, but all I have done so far is started working on binding the edges of the rug.  Seems like it will not be difficult and will be fun!  Loved the look of this art work the minute I saw it.  Photo from:  www.2catsonastone.com.  I hope my rug turns out this nice!