It was Happy Hour at Starbucks. Buy one, get one. I had an appointment late afternoon, then planned to work late, so I decided to stop by and get one for myself and give the free one to a coworker. I walked in and thought of someone else at work who was having a challenging day. So buy two, get two seemed the smartest option. I was already at the counter and had to think quickly, so I ordered two of my favorite drink then called my daughter, who shares my drink preference. I knew she was in town, so I asked if she wanted to pull through the parking lot for a pick up. But she had just picked up a drink.
So I got a double treat to last into the evening. I wasn’t quite done with drink two when I pulled into my driveway from work. I walked to my mailbox and opened a thank you card, which contained a $10 Starbucks card.
My double treat got doubled.
Sometimes life is like that. I find as I pour myself out for God, he fills me. Not always in the way and timing I expect, but he is always faithful to fill what I yield. I don’t yield because of what I will get in return. That is the toddler-stage approach, and it serves a purpose in the process of a growing faith. But when that give-and-take approach is yielded for a give-because-faith-and-truth-is-enough-reason-itself, expectations shift from “What will I get for giving?” to a simple attentiveness toward God’s presence. And with it comes a constant appreciation and admiration of how creatively God moves.
Even through the simple act of sharing Starbucks with friends.