Caffè Americano

¹ 

Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

² For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

³ He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵ But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.

- Isaiah 53:1-5

My four year old daughter asked me today to make her a coffee. "But don't put any of that bad stuff that you put in it last time"

That "bad stuff" that I put in it was coffee. She wanted milk and french vanilla creamer and I put the smallest bit of coffee in it and it really bothered her.

Anyways today I made her a "coffee" that was just milk with french vanilla creamer.

I think Christianity in North America is a bit like this. Some people want to be Christians without any trouble, trials or tribulation. Trouble in this world would be hard enough on its own, it would be extremely disheartening if you expected it to be all sugary.

One of my sisters once said to me, "I think God is more concerned with our character than our happiness". Things might make more sense looking at our lives in this world through that lens.  

Thankfully Christ has overcome the world.