MIMI’S COFFEE SHOP

My daughter sat across the table from me with her big brown beautiful eyes listening as I shared why it might be a fun idea to open a coffee shop. We had talked about opening one together a few years ago.

Mom’s vision…all her adult kids laughing, smiling, pouring coffee and visiting with neighbors over cups of coffee. A warm and cozy shop with natural lighting, green plants, hard and soft spaces and a delightful fireplace. The perfect spot for grabbing an excellent cup of coffee with a friend or enjoying a cozy atmosphere while reading the next chapter of a good book.  And visions of growing grands getting their first taste of a job working at Mimi’s Coffee Shop.

Kid’s vision…frazzled and bustling family life that is already full. Loving commitment to family, church, work and ministry. Can we fit one more thing in? How much more can I do and still be doing what needs to be done with excellence?!  Every decision comes with limitations, saying yes to one thing means saying no to something else. What will I need to say no to??? What are my God-given priorities? Will these decisions allow me to achieve those priorities, or will they detract?

I held my warm cup of coffee and looked into her eyes; all her words were spoken in love.

We smiled. Talked of years of preparation for life and ministry, shattered dreams, God’s leading in our lives and the constant nagging in our hearts to make a difference in the world. Though, life did not turn out the way either of us expected, God had filled our hearts and lives with a sweet sense of purpose.

God was making a difference in quiet ways, and we could see it.

Not in the elaborate “let’s change the world type of stuff” but in the quiet faithfulness of ordering our lives, loving our families, and working with our hands to do good and to provide for the needs of self and others.

Pretty simple.

But sometimes it is hard to be faithful to the simple and ordinary. How do you put that on a resume or epitaph??  But then I thought of Mary.

Life did not turn out the way she expected. When approached by Gabriel, we do not hear her saying, “but this isn’t the way I planned it.”

No, that’s not what she said. She simply said, yes.

She had no idea what this “yes” would involve. That would be revealed to her over time, and yet her response to God’s invitation to participate in His work was yes. From what I see in the Scriptures, I believe it was a continual yes!!!

“Look at me. I am the LORD’s servant. Let it be done to me according to your word.”

She had her good days. Who wouldn’t have wanted to witness the excited shepherds at the birth of her Son trying to explain what they had seen and heard. Or what about the wisemen who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh kneeling before their toddler telling them stories of the star that them to their Son, the Holy One of Israel. Or the crowds cheering Him as he entered Jerusalem!!

And there were the bad days. The days when a sword would pierce a mother’s heart. What mother’s heart would not have been broken to see the crowds reject and humiliate your son? Then crucify him.

Is this what it means to say yes to God?

Simply stated, the answer is yes. Just look at Mary. If life has not turned out the way you expected. You are in good company. I think there are at least three things we can remember that can help us when we say YES to God.

- Remember the good days. Don’t forget God’s blessings and faithfulness over the years. Call them to mind and give Him thanks!!!

- Remember Mary’s yes!! It meant receiving good things from God and hard things. God told her that sufferings would be a part of her blessings. The same is true for us!! Suffering is hard, but we experience a greater loss when we see our grief and loss as meaningless. Like Mary we need to trust God for the bigger picture. I think the challenge for us is not to waste our suffering. Like treasure hunters, we are to mine them for God’s treasures which are available to us now.

- Now back to the bigger story. Where is the Son of Mary, today? The Bible tells us He is sitting at the right hand of God. His suffering produced glory because the sweet mama of Jesus, said yes.

So, what about those grandiose ideas of changing the world? What about Mimi’s Coffee Shop? Oh, I’m not giving up!!! I’m about to order a cute little sign to hang in my kitchen.