Tonight I was sitting with my dad having a drink when he picked up his mug and let out a small gasp. He’d spilt some coffee on himself. “It made a little wave and flopped over the side,” he said. “Like a mini tsunami in my mug!”
That made me laugh – he’s got a good turn of phrase, my dad. And honestly, who’s ever heard of coffee flopping?!
But it also brought to mind a story I once heard. A man was walking with a cup of coffee when someone bumped into him, and the coffee spilled everywhere.
“Why did you spill the coffee?” the second man asked.
“Because you bumped into me!” the first replied.
“No,” came the response. “You spilled coffee because there was coffee in your cup. If it had been tea, you would have spilled tea. Whatever is in your cup is what spills out.”
That stuck with me.
Because it’s true, isn’t it? Life will knock us. We all get bumped – by stress, disappointment, conflict, grief. And when that happens, whatever we’ve been carrying inside spills out. It might look like frustration, anger, or bitterness. Or it might be grace, patience, or peace.
We can fake it for a while, smile through the day, offer polite kindness, but when pressure hits, the truth of what’s inside us comes rushing out.
So the question is: What’s really in my cup?
Is it joy? Gratitude? Humility? Or is it weariness, resentment, or a quick temper?
This Sunday, I’m preaching on the moment in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus, nailed to the cross and mocked by soldiers, cries out:
“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Even in the most brutal moment of pain and injustice, what spills out of Jesus is grace.
That kind of response doesn’t come from nowhere.
Paul writes in Galatians about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. These aren’t things we can force. They grow in us over time as we walk with God, spend time in prayer, and open ourselves to the Spirit’s work.
I want that kind of cup. I want to be someone who spills over with grace, not just when life is easy, but when it’s hard.
I’m not there yet. When I get knocked, frustration often comes out. But there’s hope, because the Spirit is still growing fruit in me. Slowly. Quietly. Faithfully.
So if you, like me, want to have something better in your cup, don’t give up.
Keep going. Keep praying. God is still at work.
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Prayer
Lord,
You know what’s in my cup — the good, the messy, and everything in between.
Grow in me the fruit of your Spirit.
Help me to respond with grace when life bumps into me.
Fill me with your love, your peace, your kindness.
And when I fall short, remind me that you are still at work in me.
Amen.
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