A Clean Cup

I have a favorite coffee cup. It’s a simple white cup with “Man of God” imprinted on one side. When I see it, I become aware of God’s presence and am reminded of my true identity.

Before I pour my first cup of coffee each morning, I make sure the cup is clean. I inspect both the outside and the inside. I even make sure my wife hasn’t used my coffee cup. A man has to draw the line somewhere. :-)

The point is simple—I don’t want to pour today’s fresh coffee into yesterday’s leftover coffee or tea.

I’ve made that mistake before. You think you have a clean cup at a restaurant, only to discover after the first sip that you don’t. Can you relate?

And then it hits me.

Why am I so careful about having a clean cup for my coffee, yet less aware of the condition of my inner cup?

I have no problem inviting the Holy Spirit to pour out His blessings—the fruit of the Spirit—into my life. But maybe I should spend a little more time examining the inside of my own psycho-emotional-spiritual cup.

Maybe I need to sweep out the cobwebs of yesterday’s unfinished business.
Throw out the ego-driven trash talk.
Dust off the residue of rejection.

All before asking the Holy Spirit to fill my cup again.

I’m not lukewarm, so I’m not worried about being “spit out” like that bad restaurant coffee… but still. I don’t think God expects me to be squeaky clean, as if I’ve been run through some kind of cosmic dishwasher.

But I do have a part to play.

Because I want my cup to be as clean as possible.

Besides, it never takes long before the first fly of frustration lands in the coffee… followed by a slip of the tongue that would make Sigmund Freud smile… or a brief step off the narrow path into the Swamp of Despair.

And yet, God is patient.

He doesn’t hit me with the perfectionistic Nerf Bat.
He doesn’t discard the cup.

He simply pours it out… and fills it again.

Fresh.

Life is good.
And God is great.

_______

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 (NKJV)