Drinking tea
When I was a small child, maybe 5 or 6, I loved sweet tea. My Gran would make it for me in a big mug that I could suck the air out of and have it stick to my face like magic. However, I never drank all of the tea. I always left just a small amount. Maybe an inch at the bottom. It was a long time before anyone noticed or said anything. My Gran, growing up in the 20 & 30's hated food waste of any type and I think it finally got to her.
The reason I didn't drink it is not as simple as you may think. It wasn't because it had gone cold, It wasn't that I didn't like it, that bottom bit was the best, if the sugar hadn't been stirred in properly then there was always this sugar sludge at the bottom. No, the reason I didn't drink it was because at the bottom of my cup (and to a 5 year old it seemed only my cup as the adults didn't have the same thing) was a creepy face staring back at me every time I lifted the cup to my lips. Opened mouthed teeth showing ready to bite me. The face was perfectly rounded and the eyes just started back at me, watching me, waiting…
Maybe you can see where this is going. Maybe not… I didn't have a novelty cup, whatever cup I used there it was. Of course, I never told anyone about this, they would say I was being stupid, so I just didn't drink the last bit of tea in the cup. It was a long time, longer than I care to mention, before I realised that it was only a distorted reflection of my own face and, typing it here, it does seem woefully silly. Thing is, I still leave about an inch in the bottom of my mug……well you never know do you?
Fear can be paralyzing. Most of us are scared of something or other. Most fears are irrational, I think I have my fair share of them. But some of them can develop into other more sinister issues. Fear of people, fear of failure, fear of yourself, fear of death, all are very real issues.
God teaches us through his word that he is with us through these fears. Several verses point to how he knows and cares for us, and that whatever we face, we do not have to face it alone.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 [NIV]
Joshua tells us that we are to be strong and courageous, terrified. It's a simple truth, that if I had known Jesus when I was 5 or 6, or even if I had talked to my parents about the "face" I would have known that the fear was irrational and that there was not some horrible monster below my tea, just waiting to devour me…
So why do I still leave an inch of tea at the bottom of my cup??
Steve Fogo
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