Joy Challenge #7

Joy challenge #7: Have coffee with a friend

I have trouble with small talk. In a group or at a conference or when there are 100 things happening at the same time, I’m terrible at small talk. I can’t focus, I’m usually wondering about what’s going to happen next, and I feel completely distracted and out of place. I can do it, and I’ll fake-extrovert for awhile, but the best conversations for me typically happen over a cup of coffee.

I don’t know what it is – maybe the warmth of the cup, something to occupy my hands, or the fact that I don’t have to worry about who might feel ignored if my attention is focused on one person – but that time spent with one friend over one great cup of coffee makes all the difference. I can listen well, and I can be heard. I can share and I can encourage. I can feel 100% at home, welcomed, included, and wanted. And if you show up to my house with muffins to grill and your favorite Keurig coffee to make and share? Well, we might just be friends for life.

It seems small, trivial even. I’m not encouraging you to go start a charity to find joy or form a book club to combat jealousy. But sometimes the biggest thing we can do for our hearts comes in the smallest moments. Joy can be found in the ordinary, every day, common hours of our lives when we look for God in the midst of them. The journey to joy can be simple – and eliminating jealousy from your life can be as easy (some days) as investing in the people God has put right in front of you. Whether it’s over coffee, a chai latte, or french fries, getting together with a trusted friend for shared laughter and conversation can make a world of difference.

Questions:

• When was the last time you got together with a friend for coffee?
• Who comes to mind immediately when you consider this challenge?
• When has a conversation over coffee encouraged your heart in the past?