Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him! Psalm 34:8
Today I wanted to share with you from one of the meditative sights I follow, Anam Cara Ministries. I loved the image of a tea bag being steeped in all the goodness of God’s love and presence. I hope you find comfort in these thoughts.
…Sit with the image of making tea today. Imagine yourself in it. You are the tea bag resting in the cup, dry, waiting for the life of God to fill it up. What happens when your insides and God’s life-water meet? It takes a little time, but the colors and aromas begin to emerge. Your unique blend of flavors begin to seep out and make themselves known, until at some point, you and the water become one. And not just *one* thing, but a *new* thing that didn’t exist before. Your unique insides steeped in the life of God becomes this one-of-a-kind tea.
But this infusion can’t happen unless there is permeability – vulnerability – between the tea bag and the water. If your unique flavors have not been well-received at any point in your life, the tendency can be to wall those things off, protect them, keep it all inside. But when we do this, all that good stuff stays inside – and the water can’t get in either. No one – not you, God, or other people – get to experience the fullness of *you* then.
As you sit with this image in your imagination, consider what walls you have up – to letting God’s life in, or your true self out. Are you trying to make tea through a solid steel ball instead of a mesh one? Can you feel the warmth of the water outside but aren’t quite sure how to let it in?
What step could you make toward vulnerability today? To letting your true colors and flavors emerge? To trusting that God’s water is life-giving? If you have a few minutes right now, stay with the image and see what comes up. Talk to God about what emerges. Do you have any sense of how God might be responding to you in this moment?
What would it be, to steep yourself in God today? Perhaps you experience God in creation – everything around us speaks of his heart. Perhaps you find life in Scripture, and want to spend a little extra time soaking that in today. Or maybe there is another spiritual practice that you have found opens you to God in a way that lets your soul steep in God’s presence, in God’s love. Take a little extra time today, this week, to intentionally immerse yourself in those places you have found life with God.
God who is good beyond imagination, fill our cups this day, this week with fresh life-giving water. Surround us to rest in the warmth of your love and mercy. Grace us with the eyes to see you anew, to see you in the presence of others. Lead us in your ways and fill our heart with your love and joy. In the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
Peace, Brenda