Taking apart the coffee pot

There is nothing better than to wake up to a good steaming cup of coffee as I settle into my morning reading and start the day.

But for the past few months, things have not been quite right.  I have had to put more and more coffee grounds into the filter, a level scoopful to a heaping scoop, and even then, the coffee continued to appear only as colored water, no matter the brand, and seemingly no matter how much coffee or how little water I pour in.  Some mornings, it was not worth drinking it at all.

I always "set up" the coffeemaker the night before, so that in the morning I just have to pour in the water, as to not tax the limited brain space of my early morning fogginess.  A couple of weeks ago, right before bed, I carefully placed the paper filter in the plastic basket and HEAPED the grounds in the basket.  The next morning, I poured in the minimum amount of water.  Surely, that would work.  

The result was pathetic.

We need a new coffeemaker, I surmised.  Our daughter had purchased this one for us at a garage sale for $3 about eight years ago.  It was old and full of years.  It had served us well.

But what if ....?  What if the dripping mechanism just needed cleaning?  What if it was just clogged? I looked up the owner's manual on the internet, and scrolled through page after page detailing its care and use.   And indeed, it called for cleaning, with a small brush or pipe cleaner, the tiny little distribution cap where the water comes out.  But when I looked, there was no little cap at all.  The water was literally pouring right through the almost untouched grounds.  No lingering.  No brewing. No wonder the weak unpalatable result.

When something is not right, there is usually something wrong. 

But it was not broken beyond repair. A small but significant piece was missing. And for $6.83 with free shipping, two days later, we had coffee as it should be.

And it made me think about how when something seems wrong in my relationship with others or something weak in my relationship with God, there probably is something wrong.  What am I going to do about it?  Seek out the problem, or just decide that's just the way it is?

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4.8)   Dig daily in God's Word, clean out my heart not with a pipe cleaner but His forgiveness, and let Scripture brew slowly through my thoughts and soul, lingering in these profound and ancient words.

Most mornings, I am shocked by God's faithful words that appear to be translated particularly for me on this day in eternity, sometimes a passage that applies directly to something I am going through, sometimes even just a word or two to help me navigate the storms.  Not just reading, but meditating, thinking about, writing down on an index card or in my journal how God is touching my heart, and taking that verse with me -- the very Word of God! -- into my day.

God never intends for us to just live in a mediocre relationship with Him, but full strength, bold, and awakening.  As it should be.

Taste and see that the LORD is good.

                                        Psalm 34.8