Sunday Reflections

I absolutely love a hot cup of tea in the evening. While living in Colorado, we were close enough to the Celestial Seasonings plant in Boulder for it to become a great location for our family to shop at to stock up on our favorite teas, as well as to take out-of-town family members when they came to see us for a lengthy visit.

My senior pastor referred in a recent sermon series that difficult, sometimes surprising situations are "Hot Water Experiences." If you put a tea bag into some hot water what you'll get is hot tea that is perfectly matched to the flavored tea bag it was steeped from. The same is true with life experiences. How we react to situations is a direct link to what we've been "steeped" in. (and there have been a few types of tea I wouldn't want to taste again...as well as tasteless reactions and responses I would rather forget!)

This morning I had many lovely smiles and hugs from several preschoolers, dirty diapers, chocolate pudding stained on 2-year olds clothes, new flooring in one room that made using it impossible, excellent dependable volunteers, but a few surprises, some not so fun, as well. I ALWAYS come home from church and relive the morning in my mind; analyzing what I could have done better...or how I'll handle a similar situation the next time around. I ask myself - what was the result of this hot water experience? Was it pleasant?

I pray that I stay steeped in God's Word each and every day, so that when the hot water comes on, the result will be a pleasant, not bitter, hot cup of tea for those around me to enjoy. There are going to be surprises each and every day. It's how I handle those surprises that will leave a lasting taste in our mouths.