Analyze My Coffee

Good morning! Usual? I'd say yes. And they call out - Iced Tall Sugar-free Vanilla Non-fat Caramel Macchiato!

It has to be iced. I need something to refresh me, and something cold is it. Tall size is just the right amount. Not overwhelming, but satisfying enough.

I like vanilla - from flavors to scents. Sugar-free is just a whim. And yes, I'd always go for non-fat milk, all the calcium sans the fat.

The caramel just adds excitement to the macchiato - milk "marked" by the espresso.

Aside from all these, it's so great to have people from your coffee shop recognize you, not just by your name, but also by your favorite coffee. Feels like one of those familiar places where you can just be yourself.

No wonder, taking time to sip my coffee and just relax on the couch is such a stress-relieving exercise. It gives me time to sit back, take stock of what has transpired so far of my day, say a short prayer and carry on with renewed vigor.

Let's go for a coffee-break!

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

PAIN

Pain. I thought labor pains were the worst. When you've gone through it, any other pain would not compare.

Until I got struck with a combination of physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual pain - all messily bundled into one gigantic roller coaster of events.

My back hurt. It started with the lower back, that radiated to the whole back, shoulders, thighs, knees, legs...until the whole body ached, every movement was a struggle.

They said it was stress. Yes, the peak of our work was the worst this year. Intellectual pain was bearable, but when combined with emotional pain, the hurt multiplies exponentially. There is wisdom in the saying that you should keep your emotions separate from work. But then, when you invest in people, your most precious resource, it would not make sense to keep your emotions out of it.

Then there's spiritual pain. Now, God tells me..."be devoted to Me, not to the work at hand". Serve the King, not just the Kingdom.

I was struck down. Hard. And all I could do was lie down in bed, nursing fevers. Lay there and pray. God had to keep me on my back, so that I can clearly see Him, clearly listen to Him and just stop and obey Him.

Revelations. People around me stepped up to the plate. I was not indispensable. Everything turned out right. Maybe a bit harder than we would expect, but it turned out right.

It was refreshing to step down, and let others step up.

Today I am taking it easy. Savoring every bit of the memory of my pain. Albeit, the wonderful feeling of pain. Ironic as it may be...my pain brought me gain.


2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."