Crave. Desire. Long For.

Dependency. Habit. Addiction.

Oh friends, can I be brutally honest with you today? I LOVE coffee! I do, I do indeed. The experience is inextricably woven into my day. Immediately upon waking I say still in my bed and worship to whatever song is in my head. Nearly every morning I wake up with a worship song on my heart. I sing the song in my head, I think about the lyrics and how they relate to me, and I worship God for how amazing He is. After that I proceed to grab my devotional book, journal, pen and phone (which I need for my bible app) and make my way downstairs. I place my books on the loveseat and proceed directly to my kitchen. Oh yes, the joy in making a fresh cup of coffee. I love everything about the ceremony of it; grabbing my jar, removing the lid and catch a whiff of that bold, enticing aroma. Next, measuring out just the right amount. Then taking the pot and filling it with the exact amount of water I need to make 2 cups, one for me and one for the hubs. Slowly pour the water in. Close the lid, power on and wait. As the water heats, it steams and pops in my Cuisinart. The machine has an auto feature which I’ve never used because I’m a creature of habit who loves the ceremony of making coffee so I couldn’t deny myself the routine of carrying out the task by filling it at night.

Inextricably woven into my daily life, I’ve got to have that cup.

From Gevalia to Starbucks to organic fair-trade, I love everything about coffee. I prefer dark roasts for their almost burn flavor. The fruity, chocolatey notes, the smokiness, the aroma, the slight bitter toasty taste of the beans. And the smell….Even typing this is a challenge as it makes me want to run and make a cup. Even on the About Me page on my website, I give a shout out to my friend, Cup o’ Joe.

Can I just skip having a cup in the morning? No. And that’s what let’s me know there’s an issue here, my attachment to it. The creamy dreamy goodness of a sweet warming cup is so comforting. But God whispers, “Come to me for comfort. Comfort is not found in that cup.” Oh, but I do find comfort and joy in each sip. But I’ve been here before. I had to end my attachment another beloved (click here to read more on that story).

I need that cup.

The ONLY time I will not have a cup of coffee is if it’s what I’ve surrendered on a fast, otherwise it’s my daily companion. It’s become something that I not only want but also something I feel I need because I can’t seem to want to start my day without it. I’m naturally an energetic person, so I didn’t thing it was about the caffeine. I do put 2 teaspoons of sweetener in it. So it is the sweet I crave?

What do you crave?

“God made us capable of craving so we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only one capable of satisfying them.”

― Lysa TerKeurst, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food

Whatever it is that has me dependent of that cup to start my day has to stop. I realized it was a problem when I started to creep up from just one cup a day. For so long I had disciplined myself to JUST the one cup. I love it so much I would like more but I’d exercised restraint. Until that one cup became a cup and a splash, then a cup and a 1/3. I would make a tiny cup in the wee hours of the morning and sip on that while doing my devotions then make my usual to go cup that I drink while driving the children to school.

So in light of Wellness Wednesday I’m sharing with you my commitment to break this habit. With my food I’ve make a conscious decision to consume foods that add to, not detract from my health. Coffee crops are one of the most heavily sprayed crops and the cream and sweetener, though turbinado are not adding to my health.

And coffee is one of those things that appear to be both good and bad for you. It’s like a back and forth argument.

~The Caffeine in coffee will leach your body of vital nutrients

~But it has antioxidants helping kill those free radicals

~But it’s addictive

~Yet is has magnesium and chromium

And on and on and on.

In general, I’m not a fan of substitutes. I don’t eat meat and am not a fan of meat substitutes. When I stopped eating ice cream about a year ago, I knew no substitute could ever come close to full fat super premium ice cream so I didn’t look for an ice cream replacement (though I do LOVE banana “ice-cream” it’s not a replacement). So in trying these, I knew going in that it would never be coffee because coffee is well…coffee.

Nonetheless, because of my attachment to coffee, I needed something to help me bridge the gap while I work toward releasing its hold on me. So here’s a peak at what I’m currently testing.

Dandy Blend

Dandy blend is an instant herbal beverage that can be considered a coffee substitute. This non-acidic, 100% caffeine free drink is made from dandelion, chicory, barley and rye. It tastes pretty good. It reminds me of the Cambric tea (hot milk with a little tea and sugar) my grandmother used to make for me as a child.

Teeccino

Teeccino is another herbal coffee alternative. They have several in their line but the one I’m currently trying is the Java since I was looking for something dark and sweet. This one is made from Organic Carob, Organic Barley, Chicory, Organic Chicory, Almonds, Organic Dates, Natural Coffee Flavor, Organic Figs Contains: Almonds. Carob is an interesting flavor reminiscent of chocolate but with a strange taste. Teeccino is grounds so it gives me the ability to still have my coffee ceremony.

Between the two I can’t say which I prefer. I like the taste of Dandy Blend and the ceremony of Teeccino. Both are missing the heavy mouth feel of actual coffee. At some point when I have brought my love affair with coffee into its proper alignment, I think I’ll do one scoop of coffee with one scoop of Teeccino. And there will be times when I will drink a nice strong cup again but for now I’ve got to step back while I work through this attachment issue.

It’s been almost two weeks since I began walking away from my addiction. There I said it. My dependency will be called what it is, an addiction. You may be thinking, but what’s wrong with having a cup of coffee a day? Well, when your attachment to anything is such that you can’t do without it, you ought to examine it further. Just because something is permissible doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

1 Corinthians 10:23

I invite you to examine anything in your life that you crave, long for or desire. Has that longing become a habit? Do you go out of your way to get that thing? Does your day or life feel incomplete without it? If yes, I’d say it requires further examination to ensure you have a healthy relationship with that thing.

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!