EZ Coffee Rules

My self-imposed limit, 8oz coffee daily, lasted about 3 weeks. The weather turned colder and a full 14oz mug of steaming liquid felt more substantial. A day or so later, a second splash from carafe to cup was too tempting to resist, and by the end of that week my return to a multiple-cup habit was complete.

I didn't intend to give up coffee, or even limit my consumption for an extended period of time. I set no other parameters nor goals.

What amazes me is how quickly my habit returned once I quit focusing on the well-defined 8oz limit, once the measuring cup was returned to its drawer.

A wood placard hangs above a door in my office. I've owned it for more than a decade, and remember vividly the day it became mine. I was shopping with my parents and my sister, the one closest to me in age. Reading the sign, I laughed aloud at the sentiment. Dad didn't see the humor.

I want to believe the placard is mine simply because it made me laugh. In reality, Dad's less-then-enthusiastic reaction played a bigger part in my decision than I want to admit. My joy was actually enhanced by his displeasure. Why is that?

Within the child me resides a measuring stick for success, a tidy chart with room for lots of gold stars.

I, the Lord, am your God. You shall have no other gods besides me.
You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain.
Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness.
You shall not covet your neighbor's spouse.
You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

The twenty-something me hated being treated like a child. She threw temper tantrums. She crashed the fences of limits and parameters like a teenager breaking curfew.

The thirty-something me crash landed, limping away from the wreckage that was once my faith and walking away from the church.

In Christ, God gives me new rules, a new Ruler.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

God's joy was not dissuaded by my displeasure. Why is that?

Rw

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EZ Coffee Rules copyright 2011 rjw (there's a book in here somewhere)