"Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?"  Matthew 20:22

Our cabinet is filled with mismatched coffee cups. While some have been a part of a set and have broken, the collection is really intentional. Each morning I open the cabinet and take out the one that fits my mood, my need in the moment. This morning I took out one cup only to return to the cabinet to choose a different one. Since the colors or styles don't differ greatly, it is some ways a strange ritual. And yet it makes sense to me and sets the tone for my day.

Some days I need the weight and strength of a larger cup, one with more clay per inch. I hold it with solid hands, grasping the fullness of its form. Other mornings I reach for the one remaining wide mouthed daintier cup. I hold its pale green close to my face while the steaming coffee warms my face.

In addition to being utilitarian, the cup is a wonderful metaphor. The fact is we don't always get to choose the cup from which we drink. Sometimes the cup of sorrow or illness chooses us. Sometimes we are forced to drink from cups too heavy or to fragile. It is the nature of living fully. Sometimes we choose a cup that is too big for us and we spill its contents unmercifully. Most often we underestimate ourselves and choose a cup that is too small to hold all we have to offer the world.

At some point of this day you will no doubt drink from a cup. I hope you will not take it for granted. If nothing else remember that it was formed by hands that you do not know, most probably by someone who was paid very little to create it. If you are lucky you will drink from a cup shaped by an artist whose passions still live indelibly in the shape and creativity you now cradle. Cups are not to be taken lightly so savor not only what you drink from the cup, but the cup itself. It offers itself to you for your sustenance and your enjoyment.

"Bestower of Life, Abundant Love, Trusted Companion, Eternal Wisdom, I pray your blessing to be upon this cup and upon myself. Make of this cup a sacred vessel as I pray with it each day. May this cup become my teacher, helping me to find my way to you. May this cup hold many messages of your wisdom and your comfort. May this cup connect me with life and create in me a generous heart. May this cup draw me ever closer to loving oneness with you."  ~Joyce Rupp