creature worship

Life with a pilot means that lots of mornings don't turn out like you expect. Many surprises are unpleasant but some of them, like getting 7 rather than 3 hours of sleep last night, are most welcome. Then came two hours in the car dropping Josh off at the airport, after which internet and a bagel sounded nice. Panera!

The cinnamon crunch bagel is my absolute staple. I snuggled into my booth and sunk my teeth in, and realized that it only lacked hot coffee to complete the happiness. I shrugged away the extravagance I was was about to commit and marched up to the order line to wait. And... waited. The cashier who took the previous order wandered off, reemerged with an old orange juice jug, of all things, then disappeared again. I could sense my bagel getting cold and my impatience rising. Finally a manager caught my glare and sent a cashier back to help me. "I just want a small coffee," I said. "Here you go," she handed me a cup and waited for me to leave. Confused, I tried to hand her my credit card, but she just smiled and said, "Have a good day."
The coffee was free.

I'm often surprised (and embarrassed) at what can turn my morning around.* Suddenly the whole room got happier and I was impatient for no one. Even the group of ladies sitting quite close to my table and not using their most-inside inside voices now turned out to be innocently discussing their lives. As I snuggled back into the booth, sipped coffee and ate bagel, my heart was full of worship to God.

But hardly had I got into this happy state before my mood was checked by a twinge. Really Candace? Worship God over a bagel and free coffee? How like a creature. So wrapped up in your physical needs and satisfactions that the best reason you can think of to praise the Almighty is burnt bean juice that sets off some adrenaline chemicals in your head? Not very sanctified of you. I doubt angels worship God over coffee.

And that's usually enough to shut me down. I sorrowfully turned the phrase "creature worship" over in my mind and wondered whether it might not mean at least two things. One is what I was doing earlier when I was impatient, worship of the creature, setting my impatience over God and His glory and worshiping that rather than Him. But then there's the worship from a lowly creature. Worship from a being that knows it is finite and frail and the beneficiary of an infinitely bountiful God. And if that bounty comes down in the form of a drink that I do not deserve on so many levels, isn't that a good enough reason to offer praise to my good Giver?

It is. I shooed away the disparaging thoughts and strove to turn my thoughts to my Lord and thank Him for the transformation He is working in me. Because only God can turn creature worship into creature worship.






*And those with concerns of a coffee addiction can lodge complaints with my husband, who is already convinced I have one. I did warn you that both sleep deprivation and caffeine would be a regular theme for the next while.