Teacher

I am Southern born and bred.  I drink tea.  Sweet tea.  Iced.

But I also drink a lot of other teas.  Hot.

Green.  Black.  White.  Blended.  Herbal. 

Breakfast tea.  Dessert tea. 

Loose leaf.  Bagged.

I drink tea.

I buy tea from anywhere.  National. 

I am gifted tea from everywhere.  International. 

If I’m restless, I drink tea.

If I’m rested, I drink tea.

If it’s Sunday, I drink tea.

If it’s Monday, I drink tea.

You get the picture.  I drink tea.

For me, there’s something therapeutic about it.    

But as I sat in my office one day, I looked at my teacup and saw something different.  Something more meaningful.

I saw tea as a teacher.

Enthusiasts will tell you that the perfect cup of tea doesn’t happen by chance.  It’s brewed with precision and intention.

First, you start with a high-quality tea, one that will be fresh, flavorful and beneficial. 

To produce this quality tea, you must use premium water.  Tea lovers generally prefer either filtered or spring. 

Next, the tea-to-water ratio is set.  You don’t want too much or too little of one or the other. 

The key to getting the right taste is water temperature.  Different teas require different temperatures.  For example, if the water is too hot for the leaf, the scorching could produce a bitter taste.  On the other hand, water that isn’t hot enough may result in a weak, flavorless tea. 

Although teas have an optimum steep time, the length is ultimately up to the individual.  Steep time, which can also determine the strength of the tea, depends upon the taste of the brewer. 

During the infusion process, water has to be able to move in and around the tea leaves.  This allows the leaves to expand.  Many tea drinkers use presses for this process.  A tea press adds tea to the bottom of the cup, tops it with hot water and lets it steep.  Then, the press is pushed all the way in to stop the infusion.  The press releases the tea so that it can be poured out. 

The tea can then, finally, be enjoyed.  

TEAcher.

Believers will tell you that a blessed life doesn’t happen by chance either.  We, too, are crafted with precision (“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord…”) and intention (“…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”).

Cultivating faith is like brewing tea leaves.  Its process also requires water, heat and pressure to make it rich and robust.      

To receive the full intensity of high-quality faith, according to Hebrews 10:22, we must first, “…draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience…” and then have, “…our bodies washed with pure water.” 

Next, God sets the ratio.  He’s balanced.  He measures out faith to every man and pours out His Spirit on all flesh.

And because faith is unique to us individually, we require varying temperature settings to bring out our gifts and callings.  God, the master brewer, knows just how we need to develop in preparation for the abundant life that He’s designed for us. 

Our steep time produces patience.  As we wait, the Holy Spirit saturates our faith to activate the Christ-like properties within us.

And then comes the press; this infusion process is where faith grows.  “…we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts…” 

God’s love fills us with the promise of His provision.  There’s refreshing in the cup.  There’s health in the cup.  There’s comfort in the cup.  There’s peace in the cup.  There’s joy in the cup. 

Our cups, truly, runneth over.

As the aroma of God invigorates our worlds, it invites others to share in His warmth and goodness.

PRINCIPLE: “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”  Psalm 34:8