I experienced a peppermint mocha revelation as I waited in the drive-thru.
The custody battle caught me off guard. Anxiety assaulted me. Truth was on my side, and I believed God would honor that. But when the gavel fell, truth lost. My ex-husband received temporary custody. I was devastated.
By five weeks into the nightmare, hope had slipped away. Days on the calendar ticked off like beating drums of defeat. Someone had stolen the things that made life beautiful—a bear hug, morning coffee, or a well-timed pun. I tried to take life moment by moment, but weariness exacted its toll. God seemed silent.
I decided a treat might lift my spirits while driving to work one morning, so I pulled into a drive-thru and ordered a peppermint mocha. Unfortunately, anticipation gave way to disappointment as my mouth filled with a watery substance that tasted awful. Of all the difficult things happening in my life, was a simple drink too much to ask for? Frustrated, I drove to work, grumbling the entire way.
After work, I decided to give the coffee shop and peppermint mocha another chance. As I waited in the drive-thru, I realized I had misplaced trust issues. The coffee shop had let me down hours earlier, yet I trusted them again to get it right. But when life served up circumstances I didn’t expect, I let doubt dictate my interaction with God. I approached Him through the pain of those circumstances rather than through what I knew about His character. I doubted His goodness.
Unlike the barista, God didn’t ask for my order. Instead, He asked, “Do you trust Me?” In my pain, I had placed my trust in a fallible human institution while hesitating to trust an all-loving, faithful Father. God’s Word confirms His extravagant love through countless promises and stories. The psalmist’s words came to mind, and I immediately repented of my misplaced trust.
Sweet and satisfying or diluted and disappointing, we never know what a day may hand us, but each one offers the same question from our loving Father: “Do you trust Me?”
How can you do a better job of trusting God?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Laura Taylor resides in rural South Carolina. She is a retired teacher and author of the children’s book EE Otter and the Bullfrog Bullies. She counts her husband and sons as constant reminders of God’s amazing grace.