I Would Never Do "That"!

Coffee—never been a fan of it!  My parents drank coffee every morning and they drank it black!  No sugar.  No cream or milk.  Nothing.  Not me….I never wanted or desired to drink coffee.

As I got older I still never desired or wanted to “learn” to drink coffee.  As a result, I was almost considered an outsider.  “What?  You don’t drink coffee?” I would hear over and over again.  After a while, I began to really want to drink coffee…..you know, to “belong” and be able to go to Starbucks with the girls and drink coffee.  But I just could not.  Not only did I not like the taste, but being at Starbucks was so intimidating!!  Later, I decided I for sure did not want to “learn” to drink it because I really did not need another “addiction”!!

The morning routine for our “girl trip” included us getting up one by one, getting a cup of coffee and sitting on the back porch in our jammies and visiting and drinking coffee for hours and hours.  All except for me—I would drink my Dr. Pepper!!  Until this year, that is!!  You would not believe the shock on each of my girl friends’ faces when I appeared with my coffee cup instead of my Dr. Pepper glass!!!

How in the world did I get there?  How did I get from absolutely drinking NO coffee to drinking coffee in the morning?  It was a process.  A progression.  Something that took years and years.  It all started several years ago with Baskin & Robbins jamoca almond fudge ice cream!!  Just a taste of “java”!  I loved it!!  From there I progressed to the Baskin & Robbins' mocha cappuccino blast!!  Yummy!! 

A few years later a Union college student I was discipling introduced me to Starbucks’ mocha frappuccino!  Amazing!!  Then…..after drinking that for a few years, I wondered if there was a hot version to the mocha frappuccino—and sure enough—the café mocha!!!  Delicious!

So, I found myself drinking “coffee”, but honestly, I did not consider myself a real coffee drinker!!  I would NEVER make coffee at home and drink it or EVER drink it at a restaurant or someone’s home.  R-I-G-H-T!!  Now, after many, many years later…..I guess I have to admit it…..I drink coffee!!  Yikes!  Shock!!  People who know me are in disbelief!!

Here’s the thing…..I never would have jumped from not drinking coffee to drinking coffee.  It was a process….a progression…..a little introduced a bit at a time when before I knew it….I was doing it.

Is there something you say you would “never” do?  Maybe something fearful?  Perhaps something sinful.  Or even something amazing.  It could be anything…..be aware of the little steps of progression that you take and before you know it…..you are doing it…..the very thing you said you would never do!

It is a word of encouragement to those of you who don’t think you can do something God wants you to do or a word of exhortation/warning to those of you who are stepping into something God does not want you to do!!

I gotta go.....I think I need a cup of coffee!!