A Cup of Tea with God

On the wall in my Spiritual Director’s office is a picture of a teapot with a cup and saucer, and the caption, “Sometimes I have a cup of tea with God.”

I love that phrase! And the picture it conjures up – sitting and enjoying a quiet cup of tea – or coffee! – with my best friend! No agenda, no list of everything I want to talk about or ask, no time limit or clock watching! Just simply enjoying the time in each other’s company.

And it’s an invitation that He extends to me every day – to come and have a cup of tea with Him. He doesn’t have to check His schedule to see when we can book it in! He’s there – in His favourite chair at the garden table when its fine – or in the lounge if not – sitting, unhurriedly waiting for me to come and join Him. Waiting for me to slow down and notice He’s there – to put aside my schedule of what I think I need to do, and do the one thing that is important – to sit in the presence of the One who has my day already in His hands!

And as I do that – as I journal my thoughts and prayers, read His Word and reflect on it, and quieten my spirit so I can listen to that still small voice whispering words of wisdom, love and grace into my heart – then I can take a deep breath, breathe in His presence and continue with my day in the best possible way!

It reminds me of Martha and Mary in the Bible – in Luke chapter 10. There, we read that Jesus came to visit this family, who were special friends of His. He sat and talked with them, enjoying relaxing with friends, but Martha was super busy trying to get everything done that she thought was needed in order to make His visit right! Meanwhile, her sister Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and enjoy His visit without rushing around! Eventually, Martha loses patience and asks Jesus if He can’t tell Mary to go and help her! Instead, Jesus looks at Martha and replies: “‘Martha, Martha, why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.”

If we’re honest, most of us are more like Martha than Mary – rushing into and through our days, with lists of things to accomplish, pressures and interruptions, thoughts and worries that crowd our minds.

So I invite you to stop and listen again to Jesus’ words – “she has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet“.

That same invitation is there for you to hear – today and every day. The invitation from the One who waits for us to stop and sit with Him a while, to put aside our distractions and choose the most important thing.

So why not accept that invitation today to sit and have a cup of tea with God – He’s already at the table waiting for you!