Lessons from Spilling Coffee

This post about a cup of coffee is making its way around Facebook. It was originally posted by DiNuka MalShan on September 14, 2024.

“You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.

Why did you spill the coffee?

"Because someone bumped into me!!!"

Wrong answer.

You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.

Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.

Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.

Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it, until you get rattled.

So, we have to ask ourselves... “what's in my cup?"

When life gets tough, what spills over?

Joy, gratitude, peace and humility?

Anger, bitterness, victim mentality and quitting tendencies?

Life provides the cup; YOU choose how to fill it.

Today let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, resilience, positivity; and kindness, gentleness and love for others.

This metaphor took me to the movie, Nottingham, where early in the movie Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) rounds a corner and bumps into William Thacker (Hugh Grant) carrying two paper cups filled with orange juice. You guessed it, Julia is now wearing OJ all over a white shirt.  Life happens, and it is not the end of the world. It is important to know how you might react. What is your response? I imagine Jesus’ also asking, “How are you filling the cups of your brethren?”

Blessings,   

Rev. Anne