My coffee cups!

     I have several coffee cups that are my favorites.  They each have their own history and message.  They all hold coffee and keep the heat well.  My criteria for coffee cups is how my large hand fits them.  I need to have two fingers inside the handle.  Anything less and I get rid of the cup.  Going to coffee with friends becomes problematic when the restaurant has cups with small handles.  I've been known to bring my own from time to time when I know what kind of cups the restaurant uses.  When I am shopping thrift stores I am always looking for cups that are unique and just right.  Some have messages on them and others are plain.  All hold coffee and keep it warm.  You can sense from the thickness and weight of the coffee cup whether it's well made and can do the job.  Not all heavy cups do the job though.  It's important to be wise when amassing coffee cups.  Travel mugs fall into an whole separate category which won't be addressed today.
     My favorite cup is one my daughter Sara gave me a few years back.  She lives in the Bay area of California.  She took a couple of pictures of me with her and had them put on the cup (color).  The cup can almost fit 3 fingers!  It's both broad and tall so it holds a couple of cups of coffee.  When I use this cup I email her and tell her "I'm having coffee with Sara this morning."  I also have a "Life is Good" mug.  It has that saying on the front of the cup (if you are right handed) and a picture of a stick picture of a smiling man sitting on a beach chair.  On the back of the mug are these words:  "Do what you like and like what you do."  This cup probably holds the coffee heat the best of any of my mugs.  It's a great mug to use on less than nice weather days.  I also have a large glass mug that has engraved the letter "S" in old English fashion.  The glass tends to dispense the heat of the coffee cup quicker than I like.  This cup doubles as a great tea cup.  It has an elegance that doesn't really fit me or who I am.  However, I like the cup because it fits me.  I also like the "S". 
     So, what do these coffee cups have to do with my Christianity?  For beginners, they each have their own story.  They are individual in nature and all fit me.  They have remained constant companions for many years.  Memories spill out of them every time they are used.  They have sat beside my Bible while I'm doing devotions and patiently waited for me to finish before being refilled.  They are reminders of some constants in my life like Jesus.  They don't have any preset agenda other than being available when I want or need them.  They are a source of strength to me unlike paper cups we use at church.  Finally, they are symbolic of the necessity of the elements of Christianity that hold fast and are a testament to the world.  They deliver decaf just as easily as they do caffeinated coffee (or tea) being all things to people.  Jesus can be brought into every area of our lives. Perhaps you will not look at coffee cups the same way.