fire your barista

Who pours your coffee in the morning? (this is a longer one, so hopefully you have your coffee.)

I usually pour mine, but if my husband is off, sometimes he'll make me a cup. And when I need an afternoon pick me up- one of my kids like to make it. Otherwise it's a barista at a nearby coffeeshop. Even if you are your own "barista", it may be time to hire a new one....

In 2020, I experienced a late term miscarriage. I was slightly overweight at the time, but that sent me into a spiral of eating through my feelings because, at that time, I wasn't able to grieve. I was in complete denial, and shock. Fast forward a few months and I was pregnant with my youngest. All of my pregnancies are tumultuous to say the least, so when tests confirmed it, the spiral picked up speed. Even after delivery, things were stressful, so eating through my feelings became the new norm. 

I'd go in spurts of getting healthier, then reverting to old ways. It's a lot mentally AND physically, and I was getting spiritually exhausted trying to keep up with it all, and figuring out where *I* was going wrong. In complete defeat, I just trucked along. I wasn't honoring the body God gave me, but I wasn't doing a whole lot to make any real changes, either. I knew it and that made things worse. 

4 years from what I'm calling the start of this series in my life, I had started texting with other friends/believers who were also on the journey of getting healthier. It wasn't about the # on a scale, but the mental wins and getting HEALTHY with some Christian accountability we are seeking.

We would share struggles, strategies and scriptures. Most importantly, we helped remind each other that NONE of this was going to happen without Christ as our focus. It will be with HIS help that we attain our goals. With HIS help that we can sustain those results. We had to STOP thinking "we" were capable of doing this without leaning on Him every. step. of. the. way.   

Then, during my church's women's Bible study, I realized I had a problem. A big one... literally.

Gluttony. 

I don't think this is the word many- if any- of us would chose in describing our eating habits. It sounds a little..... much. A little excessive?? I mean, we're Americans, bigger is better, right? "Everyone's doing it"... But that's exactly what gluttony is: eating and drinking in excess. Before that "a-ha! moment", I'd say things like "I know I over-eat", "I don't know when to stop", or "I am a bottomless pit". I wouldn't ever have consider MYSELF a glutton.... no, not me!  Not only was I eating in excess, I wasn't exercising, and even the things I drank were problematic. 

One morning while I was making my morning coffee, I was listening to the Bible app. (I love to do plans that help you read through the Bible quickly so I can become super familiar with things, and catch things I've missed before.)  That's exactly what happened here. I had had a rough night: little sleep, and the sleep I did get would make any Sleep Specialist laugh. Well, as I was watching my Nespresso finish up the coffee and I was getting ready to play "barista"- I refer to myself as that because my coffee experience can be a little fancy sometimes...- the kids needed me. 

In the time it took to get some snacks and change some diapers, I heard a few chapters that flat out told me I had to change the person who was pouring my coffee. I had to fire my "barista"-- ME!!

(🫣And no, it wasn't "He-brews" for those that have heard that joke before.) It was Proverbs. Chapters 23-28 to be precise. I had to go back and see what verses they were, but as I was listening the words came to life and were burned in my heart:

Proverbs 23:2 (NIV)
and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

Proverbs 23:20 (NIV)
Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,

Proverbs 23:21 (NIV)
for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Proverbs 25:16 (NIV)
If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit.

Proverbs 28:7 (NIV)
A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

By the time this is published, I'll have hopefully gotten over the sting those verses had on me that day. BUT, in the short time it took for me to "do life" and listen to the Word, my coffee was ready to be prepared. 

The image of me playing barista the day before flashed before my eyes: I was in a similar mood/disposition, and I was a little heavy-handed with the creamer and definitely gave myself and extra pump or two of lavender syrup because "I deserved it".  God certainly didn't tell me that...

 The enemy did. While I was groggy and naive about the morning, the enemy was popping in to play barista and continue to-very subtly- hinder my walk.... THROUGH COFFEE?!?!

Yes. For me, in those moments, that's how he can get me. He knows that starting my day with an indulgent cup of coffee increases the likelihood of me caving to temptations later. When I cave, I feel weak. And when I feel weak sometimes I cave to OTHER sin. When I cave to other sin, I'm not going CLOSER to God.... but farther. Mission accomplished through one, innocent cup of coffee.

So today, my new barista started! She showed up early and prepared for work; not stumbling in late completely frazzled. She poured with restraint- she followed the recipe. I had discipline to know the limit of what is "enough" and to change my drink from "indulgent" to "satisfying". I used less ½ and ½, and held off on the lavender. (Neither one of those things is inherently bad; but in excess- the only way I seemed to enjoy them- was.)

Firing my old barista  was a start, but I've got to keep training the new barista-- aka I've got to KEEP digging into the Word and looking for ways to apply it to my everyday life. Even mundane moments like making coffee. 

Like I said earlier, the cream and lavender aren't themselves bad- but because I used them in EXCESS, that's where I went wrong. We can apply that to many things in life. 

What's your thing? Maybe it's money, "stuff", cars, clothes, or maybe it's coffee like me. I enjoy coffee, and I'm not ready to give it up any time soon. I'm not asking you to stop doing YOUR "thing" either. But HOW and HOW OFTEN we enjoy it matters. 

Jesus is my Barista now, and let me tell you-- the cup HE pours from.... now THAT is a good cup of Joe. 

You're the ONE He left the 99 for... Time to set up a coffee date with Jesus.