This post is written by Rachael Milner, our social media manager. We pray it blesses you and encourages you to bring Jesus your empty cup and fill up on His grace!

When I think about getting up in the wee hours and having my quiet time, a cup of tea is not just a part of those moments, but more of a given. It has become a natural combination – one means the other most every day. And I don’t think I’m the only one who has this mentality: I love having a warm cup to hold.

There’s just something soothing, comforting, cozy about the feeling. It can be tea, coffee, hot chocolate – but the circular cup wrapped up in my hands feels familiar, safe and secure. It can be shared with a sweet friend and good conversation. It can be the common bond between me and a stranger as I ask questions about her life, heart and faith (oh college ministry…) But often (daily) it’s the only other thing that gets to see deep into my heart and witness the roller coaster of emotions I feel before 9am.

Some days it’s a cup of joy – those good, sweet days where I’m rejoicing, worshipping, smiling and sipping hopefully before the day really begins. Sometimes it’s a cup of strength, refueling my weary mind to move on, be less grumpy, restart the day. Some days it’s a cup of comfort, often the only thing forcing me to be still and help me feel safe and at peace.

It’s always a pretty accessory to pictures, most commonly seen in the “birds-eye view” of our quiet times and shared coffee dates. There is something so poetic about the pretty foam, the perfect glimpse into a moment full of relaxation and rest.

It’s a very common sight that accompanies our alone time with the Father. Maybe it subtly reminds us that we are communing with Him, having the most intimate conversation across the table as we are accustomed to doing with our closest friends. Maybe it just adds a piece of normalcy to our time with the Most High God who we can often feel distant from because we feel so unlike Him. We feel so weak while He is so great – so grabbing the comfortable cup is helping us feel safe and strong in His presence – a little liquid courage as we approach the throne. It’s nice to sip slowly from the cup as we drink deep from the well of His presence.

Maybe it’s just something we love, and it’s good for the heart to share the things we enjoy with the ones we love most. I don’t know why or how coffee and the Word became so intimately connected. It wouldn’t be hard for the line to become too blurred, where you start to feel that you need one as much as the other.

It’s just like the Enemy to whisper to us that this “good” thing is now something we need to get through our day, and before we know it, we’ve added to the Gospel. We’d believed the little lie that says we need Jesus plus… We’ve convinced ourselves we aren’t morning people, so the coffee and caffeine are really what gets us through, and Jesus is there on the same level. Oh how I’ve done this before, without even realizing! I need to be so cautious never to allow my heart to believe that subtle yet dangerous lie! Friends, Jesus is better and enough. More than coffee, tea, or any other morning jumpstart! Jesus is enough. The coffee we hold is just a warm reminder of His morning mercies.

The cup can be such a good reminder, not a hindrance if we allow it to point our heart to the cross. It can serve as an excellent reminder of the cup He drank so that we could be full on a cup of life that so undeservedly overflows.

And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.’ Luke 22:41-42

The cup all throughout Scripture is a symbol of our destiny, often representing the portion that was to be given to an individual — the cup is the plot in life that was before you, sometimes good and sometimes difficult. The cup He willingly drank on the cross (a cup which we poured for Him), afforded us a cup of life, a cup of joy in His eternal forgiveness. Ellie Holcomb writes, “Son of Man, Son of God, Living Word — betrayed for our sake. He drinks the cup of death that we deserve, so that our cups might overflow.”

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Psalm 16:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:5-6

His willingness to go to the cross would allow us eternal rest in His arms through His conquering death and offering life. It is the reason we can have a cup of coffee in total freedom each morning, and enjoy this pretty life. Coffee and the Word may seem cliche, but I can’t help but think it could be the best possible reminder of the great sacrifice He made so many years ago. May I never overlook the cup of joy He daily sets before me!

your sister,

Rachael