Devotional: Week 1: Coffee stain Faith

Week 1

As I contemplate the Word, I notice the coffee stains left from the many empty cups at my desk. A niggling thought surfaced; does God see my coffee stains in the same light as tree rings?

The rings from a tree tell us about its age and its nourishment throughout the years. When it had experienced lean years and when it had blossomed. The thicker the trunk, the more the rings, the greater the story.

Then another thought struck. Is my life measured by the faith stains on my heart or is the rings evidence of a lazy woman?

Besides the fact that I will not get the medal for the world’s best housewife. It has a deeper meaning. It speaks about my daily faith walk and not about the messy rings left on the glass top. It speaks of a deeper faith that is not confined by time or space. We can look at it from two different perspectives. The many wrong choices I have made or my enjoyment of another good cup.

Faith is messy. Just as coffee stains are messy. Though coffee stains could be cleaned, our daily walk leaves stains not easily cleaned. Its telltale signs showing our human side in stark realism.

Faith test us to where we cannot see past anything but the stains. Sometimes it drains us of the very essences of who we are. Sometimes it leaves us in wonderous speechlessness. It is during those moments that we discover our purpose and receive a better understanding of the quality of our lives.

This prompted me to have a closer look and see if I can find the comparisons between my heart stains and my faith walk and what it says about me.

Maybe you can identify with this comparison. So, I want to invite you to join me on this walk. I cannot promise that I have the answers for any of our messes, but I can promise we will find our path among the messy stains and sticky moments to become stronger. And appreciate the stains just as much as the clean table. Each has a story to tell.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I bring all my stains to you. Wipe them away with the blood of Jesus and give me a robe of righteousness. Thank you, Father, for a steady hand and strong knees to navigate through my life. Thank you for strengthening me, just like a good cup of coffee and help me turn my mess into a message of hope, in Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Copyright Lynelle Clark 2023