The Coffee Man
Welcome to Joni and Friends…your place of rest.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and as we journey through this difficult season, aren’t you grateful, aren’t you relieved for those quiet, sweet moments of rest that God gives? And don’t we need them! I need them. And this has been one of the most wearying – and let me say that word again – it has been a wearying season. Here we are near the end of September, marking six months for me – and basically Ken Tada, too – having to stay sequestered. Ken keeps saying, he feels like he’s in a bad dream. Well, thankfully, we’ve stayed focused; we’re reading the Bible; we’re reading good books; we’re memorizing; we’ve got our list of people to pray over; we keep strengthening ourselves in the Lord; praying for revival, but still, it’s hard.
And that is why I am so grateful when I can enter into a moment of rest, just to rally my spirit, just to center my heart. And that moment happens every morning after I sit up in my wheelchair. After Ken lifts me into the chair, gets me positioned, he heads to the kitchen and pours a generous, very hot cup of Peet’s coffee into a camping mug, and he walks back toward our bedroom with it. And as I hear his steps coming up the hallway, I know what he’s got for me; he’s got a hot mug of great coffee, and I start singing, “Do you know the coffee man, the coffee man, the coffee man? Do you know the coffee man, Ken Tada is his name.” I always time it so that he reaches me just as I get to the “Ken Tada is his name.” And by the time I finish my little song, my husband lifts that cup to my lips, and I take a moment to inhale, to just rest and relax into that cup; enjoy the aroma. And after that long moment, I will whisper a word of thanks to Ken, and then slowly sip – it is so hot and good – I’ll sip it unhurriedly, feel the warmth and say thanks to God. We don’t say much, Ken and I; we just enjoy that moment. It’s a quiet, sweet moment of rest that God gives every morning – no more than thirty seconds – but it means the world to me. Just a little routine that refreshes in this difficult season. And I never miss it. Thankfully, the coffee man doesn’t miss it, either – he loves personally giving me that first taste of a hot cup of Peet’s in the morning.
Oh, friend, when God gives you these little gifts, these special moments; the most insignificant, yet pleasant routine, know this: it comes from the Lord. Recognize it as such, and God will refresh and renew you in those moments because you know they come from his hand; they are blessings. Jesus says in Matthew chapter 11, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me: for I am meek and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your soul.” Yes, that rest will come to you in your quiet time or in your prayer closet; but you might find it among your flowers in the backyard or on your back porch in the morning. Whenever and wherever that delightful moment occurs, recognize it for what it is: it’s a restful blessing; it’s a grace that renews. It’s why, every morning, I love hearing the coffee man heading back in the kitchen with his gift in hand. Hey, today is International Coffee Day and if you’re a coffee connoisseur, I tip my hat. And I lift my cup of Peet’s; I think it’s a cut above Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s or any of those newfangled boutique brands. Oh, and one more thing. Visit my radio page today at joniradio.org and enjoy a snapshot of my husband, the coffee man, and me taking a little rest. Then, start tomorrow morning recognizing your moments of refreshing rest as Spirit-blessed and as gifts from the Lord.
