Blessings Through Coffee

My 11:15 a.m. class got out about ten minutes early today, so I decided to stop by the Shell off of 5th street for a cheap cup of the infamous (to college students) "gas station coffee." I went to pay for my 16 oz. cup and the cashier said "That will be $1.07." I had two $1 bills, but instead of making me break one dollar for seven cents, the cashier just grabbed the few pennies in the jar next to the cash register and said, "This will work. Have a great day!" Wow. Cool. I know that this story is talking about a mere seven cents, but even the smallest acts of kindness can have huge effects on people. This guy's small act of kindness made me immediately think to myself, "What can I do now to share this kindness with someone else?"

This little run-in at the Shell gas station made me remember back to another coffee-based occasion where I was blessed by a giver. On the second morning of Youth Minister's Conclave, a conference I went to for work, I stopped by the Starbucks in the hotel to grab a quick cup of joe. A tall, older man was working at the coffee shop and singing to himself. I guess because I was wearing my name tag, he asked me how the conference was going. We got into a pretty cool conversation about the conference and singing when he said something very astute.

He said, "You know, I just realized not long ago that the words that King David wrote, those poems are like songs written to God. When we read Psalms, its like we're reading or singing these lyrics to God. You know, I bet if the whole world just started singing right now, the heavens would open up and this would please God's heart. We don't all sing very well, but that doesn't matter. God just wants to hear from us. "

Whoa. This convo. At Starbucks. With someone I don't know. It was so refreshing!

After we stopped talking, I went to pay him $5 for my coffee. He wouldn't take it. I begged him to take it. He wouldn't budge. He said, "Haven't you ever been blessed before? Have you ever had someone just give you something for free because they just wanted to?"

I thought, well, yes. I guess so. This does not happen often. At least, not with coffee. But maybe I just don't recognize the little blessings in my life. Maybe this happens more than I notice because I'm too busy to just stop and realize that God is blessing me all the time. Whoa again. Thank you God for not only blessing me by letting me meet and converse with this sweet man, but for teaching me a lesson through this encounter.

I love coffee and that God used something I love to get through to me.

I smile when I think about God's blessings through coffee:)