TEA FOR TWO

This little tea party took place in Southern California.   We had moved from Washington State to Ventura, California.   Everything was new again:  a new home, a new neighborhood, and a new church.  I’ve moved enough to know that those first few months in a new location can bring on some depression and sadness.     Most of this can be quite normal when you’ve been uprooted from one home to another, and for a time you can be emotionally “fragile.”

My husband went off to work, and as I looked around at the collage of boxes waiting to be opened, I felt overwhelmed.   For me, that’s the time to put first things first.   It’s time to pull away, grab my Bible and a cup of tea, and have a mini retreat.   Goodness knows I had a wide variety of things to chat over with Jesus.

The stack of “things to do” was so overwhelming that the landscape of my vision was blurred.  I needed to “sit with my Savior” and have my heart and eyes readjusted for all this newness and period of transition. 

If you have walked with the Savior for any length of time, you have probably come to a point where occasionally He seems distant and unconcerned with what you’re experiencing in life.   It may seem and feel that way, but He is as close to us as our heartbeat.   But, we need to choose to look for Him, regardless of our emotional status. 

Being quiet can be difficult sometimes, can’t it!   But it’s oh so necessary if we want our emotional equilibrium to be adjusted to “steady.”

To be completely honest, I was lonely.   I chose a comfortable chair in our family room.   It was at the far end of the room by a large window.   This area of the room was cozy, and I had arranged the two chairs to face each other with a glass end table at an angle in between.   It isn’t critical that you see this arrangement, but it provided a lovely setting for two people to chat.

I settled my body into one of the chairs and discovered that I had neglected to make myself a cup of tea.   Moments later the tea kettle was boiling and the thought dawned on me.   I’m alone, I feel alone, but I’m not really alone … Jesus is with me.    The sweetest thought popped into my mind, I’ll make two cups of tea.   One for me and one for Jesus.  

Yes, I located two nice china tea cups, made two cups of tea, and paraded them over to where I’d be sitting.   The presence of the “other cup of tea” was a VIVID reminder that I wasn’t alone. 

Time passed, and as I read God’s Word and had a long chat about my new experience, my new location, and wondered what new plans would God have in store for my husband and I. 

When I’ve shared this with others, they often ask … was the cup of liquid tea still in the cup?  Of course it was!  But the fact that the tea was still present didn’t discourage the fact that Jesus was “very present” with me.    But the placement of the tea cup for Him brought the reality to me that morning that even though we can’t see Him with our visible eyes, we can see Him with our inner Spiritual eyes, and know in our heart He wouldn’t leave us for a moment.   And seeing the tea cup brought that reality alive for me that morning.

Just recently I was sharing this event with a lovely young woman named Alysia.   We were both enjoying a cup of tea on the back patio together sharing stories of our encounters with our Savior.

This young woman just oozed with the Savior’s joy and delight.       

Time passed, and off she went to be with some other friends for the evening.  This was on a Friday afternoon. 

On Sunday as I returned from church, I went out to the back patio to open the awning as it was a very warm, sunny day.   Then … there it was … a new TEA CUP placed in the center of the patio table with this message on a wee note above the cup:

“Having tea with my sweet Dianne.   Jesus”

My heart stopped and my eyes got enlarged.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.    It was as though Jesus stopped by and left me a note to say He had been there to see me and enjoy tea.

Who in the world knew about my teacup episode that happened years earlier?   It was this Alysia…..it had to be her.   I phoned her immediately to confirm my suspicions of the precious delivery she had made when I was at church.   She had to drive at least 20 minutes to get this cup to me.  

What a beautiful reminder it is of the memory of having made an extra cup of tea for Him years ago.  

This young woman’s thoughtfulness resurrected the beautiful memory of the past.   The next time you feel a bit lonely, make two cups of tea for your heart’s pleasure.