I am so excited to welcome Tessa Emily Hall to the blog in this fabo guest post! She loves coffee just as much as I do (maybe more … which is awesome) and is the author of Coffee Shop Devos {affiliate link}, which releases on September 18, 2018. Read on as she examines spiritual parallels to coffee. Mmm … coffee … time for another cup! Thanks for joining, Tessa!
How I Compare Coffee to Having a Relationship with Jesus
You might be thinking, “How can coffee–an earthly indulgence–even come close to comparing to having a relationship with Jesus?” When I started to write my devotional for teen girls, Coffee Shop Devos, I set out to find as many spiritual parallels to coffee that I could. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought!
No, I didn’t write this in effort to promote coffee addiction amongst teenagers. Nor do I hope that people will idolize coffee instead of God. I wrote the book to emphasize the spiritual parallels with having an addiction to coffee versus having an addiction to Jesus. The “coffee shop” theme of this book emphasizes the book’s spiritual theme—intimacy, connection, and friendship with Christ.
If you, too, are a fan of coffee, you might find the following parallels interesting…
1. Coffee helps to pull us out of our slumber and “prepares” us to face the day with energy. | Spending time with Jesus and reading His Word can give us renewed spiritual energy and joy. When we spend time with Him, He can prepare us for the day because only He knows what’s ahead.
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.”
Isaiah 40:29 (NLT)
2. We can easily become hooked to coffee because of the effects it gives us. | Once we “have a taste of Jesus”, we can’t help but become hooked—especially when we experience the side effects of His presence, which include peace, joy, and love.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!”
Psalm 34:8 (NLT)
3. A cup of coffee that’s half caf, half decaf isn’t the same as the real stuff. | We can’t live halfway for God and halfway for the world. It’s either all or nothing. Revelation
“But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”
Revelation 3:16 (NLT)
4. When we drink a watered-down brew of coffee, we can’t experience the same effects as bold coffee. | When we have a watered down version of Christianity, we’ll miss out on the life God intended us to enjoy in rich intimacy with Him.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)
5. People might recognize our caffeine addiction because of our constant alertness and hyperactivity. | People might recognize our Jesus addiction because of the peace, joy, and love that overflows from us and into the lives of those around us.
“You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”
1 Peter 1:8 (NLT)
6. Coffee has been scientifically proven to promote creativity. | When we spend time with our Creator, we behold His image. Our creative well can be filled as we immerse ourselves in Scripture and in His presence.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
7. Coffee shops are warm, inviting, inspiring, and focused on building community and having conversation. | Churches should also be warm, inviting, inspiring, and focused on building community and having spiritual discussions.
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)
8. Coffee can promote productivity. | When we live life in obedience to God and His Word, we spend our lives doing the work that He wants us to do.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:19-20 (NLT)
9. An addiction to caffeine can bring withdrawals that are evident to those around us. | When we neglect to spend daily time with Jesus and in His Word, those around us might take notice because of our crankiness.
“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)
Isn’t it cool how God can use something that our culture is so familiar with to help us understand more about how He works? So we can learn the benefits that come from having a true relationship with Him?
So if you’re like I am and enjoy sipping on cup of java, go ahead—brew yourself a pot. However, you might want to stop after cup number two if you’d like to prevent developing a bad caffeine habit.
But spiritual caffeine? Feel free to indulge in the entire pot of that one—guilt free! Daily habits are encouraged. 😉
Do you have any other parallels to add to this list? Let us know in the comments!
About Tessa Emily Hall
Tessa Emily Hall is an award-winning author who writes inspirational yet authentic books to show teens they’re not alone. Her first teen devotional, COFFEE SHOP DEVOS, will release with Bethany House September 2018. Tessa’s passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as an Associate Agent for Cyle Young at Hartline Literary Agency, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PURSUE Magazine. She’s guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 116 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating art journals, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is by connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website.
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