I actually have quite a few cups. When you love coffee... and tea... mugs seem to reproduce in the cupboard. The love of my life is confident I have enough. I love this quote:
"When asked if my cup is half-full or half empty, my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup."
Seriously, the mere fact that I "have a cup" is a reminder that many do not. It is easy to get caught up in the consumerism that is marketed around us everywhere we look. Marketing is powerful and reminds us constantly that there is something bigger, better and newer out there.
The older I get, the clearer it becomes. The things that matter most are the things connected to people we love and the memories we have shared. Pictures, handmade quilts, gifted jewelry and homemade children's Christmas ornaments. Sotheby's would certainly find little value in the things listed here. But, for the person who remembers the moments attached to the mementoes... the items become priceless.
Remember the Ark of the Covenant from the Bible?
"Have them make an ark of acacia wood-two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high." -Exodus 25:10
It was an important symbol of faith and God's presence with His people. The Ark contained the tables of the Mosaic law, a pot of manna and the rod of Aaron. The Ark was made of acacia wood to the specifications God gave the people. Was the Ark of the Covenant half full or half empty? Oh... they had the Ark of the Covenant and its contents as a reminder of God's instructions, his power, his faithfulness and his provision.
As Christmas approaches, the advertising industry offers their best images, songs and slogans to reel us into the belief we need more. What if this Christmas, remember what the Grinch learned:
“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss
It isn't about what we receive. It is about what we already have. To be content with our circumstance is the richest of blessings.
Today, I’m grateful I have a cup.
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