When my children were little and about the age they would have started to ask to see movies... and play videos... and do things some of their friends were doing...
Things that I did not I wanted their precious little minds filled with...
We had coffee together... a coffee they would never forget...
They were always asking to have a sip of my coffee.. they really came by it honestly. I am a huge coffee drinker! They delighted in their occasional sip...
But I would never let them have a cup... even a small one with tons of milk... until one very special day.
On a beautiful fall Saturday I announced to my eight and seven year old that it was COFFEE DAY! This was the day they both could have a cup of their very own coffee(decaf, of course) . My children were gleeful!
The deal was... they had to help make the coffee too. That made them even happier.. they felt so so grown up!
First, they got to choose their mugs and placemats and napkins... and they set the kitchen table.
Standing on stools... my daughter got the water for the coffee and my son helped to scoop the bean into the grinder and pour them into the coffee filter.
There was more water and more grounds around the coffee maker than in it!
They both insisted that THEY should press the magic start button!
"Wait a minute"... I said, "There is more to add to the coffee" as I proceeded to pull out a paper bag.
"Mommy, are we going to have cinnamon in our coffee today", my little seven year old squealed... "I love coffee with cinnamon"!
"No not today", I said... as I pulled out the contents of the bag one by one and put it in the coffee filter....
an eggshell... a chicken bone... an lemon peel...some doggie kibble and ... ugh... a used tissue!
I'll never forget the stunned look on my darlings faces... quickly followed by their shouts of eeeeuuuuu and yuck!
Keeping a pleasant look on my face I let the "coffee" brew and filled their cup to the brim... ignoring their very loud and very distressed protests!
"Well, drink up", I cheerfully exclaimed!
"NO" they both chimed in unison.
I went on to ask them why and we got into the real meat of this object lesson...
They both would not drink the coffee because of all the "yucky stuff" I put in it.
"But there is a coffee filter that filters out all the big chunks"... "Go ahead, today is coffee day".
The protests got even louder... so I sat them down and taught them about Philippians 4:8...
FINALLY, BRETHREN, WHATEVER IS TRUE, WHATEVER IS HONORABLE, WHATEVER IS RIGHT, WHATEVER IS PURE, WHATEVER IS LOVELY, WHATEVER IS OF GOOD REPUTE, IF THERE IS ANYTHING EXCELLENT, IF THERE IS ANYTHING WORTHY THINK ON THESE THINGS.
I went on to explain that there will probably be friends that will want them to see and do things that aren't good and pleasing to God... and even if they might not think some of those things are not that bad or that it wouldn't effect them... the FLAVOR of ungodly things cannot be filtered out and really can hurt them.
Just like drinking the "garbage" coffee could make them sick.. so could letting even little things they should not see or do.
We spent a long time time talking about this ... over little cups of fresh coffee with lots of good milk and sugar... and cinnamon.
We are never to old too remember that even the slightest things that are flavored with the evil and base things of this world have a bad effect on us.
The strong filters in our lives may keep the big chunks of ungodliness out ... but the flavor of evil will still be ingested... and it is harmful!
I hope you remember this little story as you pour you morning cup of coffee... and are blessed!
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