2 Corinthians 4:7
"But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us."
Cups have been a fetish in my life for many years. Early on I began collecting cups. It may have been because I dropped or broke so many that I had the need to replace what I had lost. Known as a habitual coffee drinker at school, a student once remarked, “Mr. McCabe, you must really like coffee.”
Jokingly, I replied, “Actually, it is the cups I like.” In reflection, it may not have been that much of a joke.
I have been following a devotional program, The Cup of Our Life,* by Joyce Rupp that uses a cup as a metaphor for our relationship with God and the world. In a section on readiness to receive, she writes that it is not until the cup is emptied that it is ready to be filled. Each of us has experienced emptiness in our lives. At times that experience is so tragic that we cannot imagine our lives ever being fulfilled again. She writes, “When we cannot stand on our own strength, when we do not have the inner resources we normally have, we are being readied to receive.”
I know a former school principal, Cliff Zehr, who was seldom seen without a cup of coffee. He daily walked about the school and through classrooms greeting staff and students, asking what they needed and how he could help. He always seemed to have enough time for everyone during what I know was a jam-packed schedule. He never hurried; he couldn’t, or he would have been constantly spilling coffee. What for many is a necessary stimulant to starting their day was to him a calming mediator of the frenetic life of school. I know I can’t blame my coffee habit on Cliff, but I do think he was the role model for my moving about with a cup in my hand. I began to learn to slow down and to be patient. Often I pick up a cup that is nearly empty and carry it with me just for the effect it has on me.
I am learning it is this near-empty cup that symbolizes my readiness to listen, to hear God, to serve and to love Him. A newly poured cup of coffee is never completely full, and it is only nearly full for the briefest of time. Again from Joyce Rupp, “Emptiness is a gift that opens us further to the transforming power of God.” In our search for fulfillment we need to embrace the love gift of emptiness that leads to fulfillment. We need to remember that our lives and our love runneth over with empty cups.
* Rupp, J. (1997). The cup of our life. Notre Dame, IN. Ave Maria Press.
“My Love Runneth Over with Cups”
Copyright © 2010 Michael J. McCabe
All Rights Reserved
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