Coffee!

I will soon be 46 years old and until today figured I would never drink a cup of coffee in my life. I love the smell of fresh brewed coffee but on the few occasions when I have put it to my mouth, it has tasted horrible. I’ve gotten used to a light coffee flavor in items but I’ve never been able to swallow the flavor of coffee. Today however changed that. Our driver for the past 12 days is Erkon and though he speaks little English and I speak even less Turkish, we’ve tried to communicate on a variety of issues. Sometimes I think we understand each other and other times I realize that we were not even close to being on the same topic. This morning, as we made our usual stop at a gas station/restaurant/bathroom (have I got stories about Turkish bathrooms!) before exploring the ruins of Pergamum we all got some drinks (cold) and sat down to enjoy a few moments outside the van. As is a tradition at many of these places, out of hospitality they often offer us Turkish coffee and tea. Now the size of a Turkish coffee cup is probably no more than 2-3 oz of liquid though it has the potency of at least 16oz! You are required to stir it each time before drinking or else the coffee all goes to the bottom (sounds very appetizing, doesn’t it!). As I was sitting at the table my friend Erkon motioned to me that he was sending over a cup of coffee for me to drink. I wasn’t sure if he had paid for it (and I know he is very limited on extra money) or if it was a gesture of friendship. What was I to do? I don’t like coffee yet I didn’t want to offend his offer. There are times when what we do and don’t like need to take a back seat to what someone is offering. With a smile I said thank you and took up a toothpick to stir what was in front of me. The taste of coffee from over the years flashed into my mind as I took the first taste…
Not too bad as it didn’t have the flavor that seemed to just hang in your mouth with American coffees. I nodded to him and he responded with a smile. For about 10-15 minutes I nursed that 2oz of coffee and came very close to finishing it. I would stir, drink, swallow, and relax and then stir, drink, swallow and relax. While I never got to really like the drink – Lisa won’t even drink a cup though she tried some of mine today, I very much appreciated the offer of kindness and friendship. Could it be that sometimes we don’t want to do things we don’t like but we do them out of respect for others and the intention of their acts? If so, does that mean that we stop living for what we want but rather for what others offer to us? Is that not a step towards Christ? To stop focusing on our wants, our pleasures, our expectations and rather be open to the new and growing opportunities that God gives to us through others? Anyone care to try something that God is giving them, even if it doesn’t seem like they’ll like it? I feel this experience was an eye opener and an honored blessing…