Let’s talk about coffee for a second. I love my coffee. I started drinking coffee while in college. I can’t go a morning without it. I used to love coffee but had to have it all dressed up for me. I had to have it with creamer. (partial to the caramel flavoring.) I would add sugar to sweeten up my cup. Sometimes I would even have a latte that would include foam and of course chocolate or caramel syrup dripped on top. I smothered the real taste of my coffee by dressing it up with unnecessary things. I dressed it up to where the true flavor was unrecognized?  I lost sight of what it was. Removing our masks, and committing to loving the person we married–flaws, pain and all, and taste the blend of coffee God created when you entered into His covenant of marriage.

If, you made the face that says, “I think I just licked the back of a lizard!” maybe the cup became bitter. We get let down, we fail each other. We hurt each other. The pain stings. We become bitter. Why? Maybe we forgot to clean the coffee maker. Maybe we forgot to keep the water clean. Or, maybe the beans went bad.

The vessel we brew our coffee in needs to be clean. We need to repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness from God and those we wrong. Likewise, the water we put in needs to be purified. When God forgives us, He sanctifies us or purifies us so we won’t contaminate the blend God made. If we don’t fill our hearts and minds with what God wants, the bean produced makes for a bitter blend of roasted beans.

Blending coffee is a fine art that marries coffee beans from different origins to enhance the best qualities of each. Roasters choose coffees that complement each other with a delicate matching of coffee beans that make it a delight among your tastes.

Our Lord, the “Master Roaster”, has put together a blend that no man should separate. Your qualities complement each other. When you blended together, God took your imperfections and strengths and married them with one another and placed His grace inside, to cover all your flaws. Making what you have sacred. And delightful!

Marriage is sacred, a sacred cup of coffee. You can add all the flavorful additives you want to cover up the bitterness from the flaws or the pain caused from the hurt you received. But it is still a cup of coffee. What you have is still sacred. Love each other, flaws and all, and walk in forgiveness, so that you can still remember your original blend. Our master roaster, God, made you with intent and delights in watching it brew.