Better Than Caffeine

The overwhelming success of Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Caribou Coffee are evidence of a national caffeine addiction. Don't forget about Monster, Red Bull, Amp, 5 Hour Energy... The list goes on forever.

Caffeine has become the quick fix of our nation. It's our way to energize and keep going. We push our bodies beyond what they were meant to do. We sense that we're becoming maxed-out and, instead of resting, raise the bar and keep going.

I'm not saying anything against working hard, and I'm certainly not bashing coffee. Those who know me well know that I have a cup of coffee every morning while I read the Bible. (And an occasional cup in the afternoon.) I am, however, bashing using caffeine to continue going when our bodies say STOP.

As an employee in the food industry I see the misuse of caffeine every single day. I see my fellow team members drinking highly caffeinated drinks to work 12+ hour shifts. I see exhausted people come in at 4 in the afternoon to grab a cup of coffee in order to keep up with their day's events.

I'd like to ask this one simple question of you:

How often do you turn to caffeine instead of turning to God?

How often do we as a society push ourselves beyond our natural limits without asking the Creator to extend our limits? How often do we ask ourselves to go farther than God asks us without consulting the One who plans our lives? How many times have you searched for something in a cup of coffee that it was never intended to give you?

I thought about this the other day, while working my second 12 hour shift in a row. My feet, legs, and back all hurt. I was tired and cranky. The time was creeping by and I still had 4 hours to go. As I prepared my cup of coffee (with way too much cream and sugar), I thought about everything that it would take for my body to feel good again. I needed coffee to cover up the fact that I hadn't slept well 2 nights in a row, I needed pain killer for my body, as well as a heating pad for my back. I could run to all of these different things to make myself feel better, or I could run to the Creator of the Universe, the only One capable of actually solving all of my problems. Why was I running to water strained through ground up beans when I could run to Someone who could fix everything?

Here's my challenge. No caffeine this week. I had a cup of coffee this morning before thinking about how much I need to go without caffeine, but from this moment on I will be free. And every time I want to turn to that cup, I'll turn to my God. I'll turn to a God who knows my circumstances and all of my problems. I'll turn to a God who can fix all of my problems, not just mask one.

I'd like to challenge my friends to do the same. Even if you don't stop drinking caffeine, just recognize your dependence on God whenever you have a cup of coffee. Use caffeine as your prayer trigger. I love prayer triggers. They're basically everyday reminders to pray. You see the item, you pray. After my week-long caffeine fast, I plan on using caffeine as a prayer trigger, a reminder that I am dependent on a powerful God who can change my circumstances.

And, let's be honest, a lot of the time knowing that Someone more powerful than you is in the charge of the situation is enough.




(P.S. How often do you turn to a nap to solve all of your problems?)