I was never really the collecting type growing up. I tried stamps… too boring. I had a few porcelain dolls, but didn’t really enjoy having a toy that you just put on a shelf. I suppose you could say that I collected books, if you were ever to look at my bookshelf. The truth is, there are just a handful of books that I have read more than once. What is the point of having a bunch of books that you are never going to read again?
My first and only real collection started while I lived in China. I bought a mug from the Starbucks in Beijing. When I came home for my sister’s wedding, a friend begged me to sell it to him. Figuring I could get another one when we returned to China, I sold it to him for the price that I had paid. We returned to China, and I never got around to buying another one. The time for us to return to the States for good came, and sadly my husband and I said our tearful goodbyes and loaded up our taxi. Just before we left, my dear friend, Paula, handed me 100 Yuan, which was roughly $12.00 in Chinese currency. She told me to buy another Starbucks mug and think of her whenever I used it. We got to the Beijing airport and I rushed to the Starbucks and purchased my cup. As the stewardess came down the aisle on the plane offering soda and green tea, I carefully poured my beverage into my mug. As I drank, I thought of my friendship that God had given me with Paula Connor. What a blessing to have her in my life!
Then I thought of another mug that a friend in China had given me. I have always liked Mary Engelbreit stuff. While shopping one day, Cheryl Watkins found a coffee mug that was black with a bright red cherry. It was very “Mary Engelbreit”, so she bought if for me. I realized that I had two very special mugs that I was bringing home from China. So, for the next few months I alternated between those two mugs as I drank my coffee each morning. While I sipped, I would thank God for these friends who are really more like family.
Since I started collecting mugs, my collection has really grown! I have the pink Hello Kitty mug from Veronica, the one my husband bought me at Disney World, and numerous others. Each time I choose a cup in the morning, it is a great reminder of how good God has been to me.
In my kitchen cupboard there sits a mug that I will probably never use again, but I wont throw it out. Somebody who hurt me deeply gave it to me. I have never had a person hurt me like this particular person did. My first thought was to get rid of the mug so that I wouldn’t be reminded of the person who mistreated me… but honestly, this mug has really been a good tool to help me grow as a Christian. Each time I see it, I pray for the person who gave it to me, I thank God for everything that I learned from him, and I ask the Lord to help me to treat others better than this person treated me.
Who knows…. Maybe someday my relationship with this person will be restored and I can dust off that mug and use it again. I will be glad that for all that time I prayed for him instead of hating him. It is amazing how the Lord can use a mug!
My first and only real collection started while I lived in China. I bought a mug from the Starbucks in Beijing. When I came home for my sister’s wedding, a friend begged me to sell it to him. Figuring I could get another one when we returned to China, I sold it to him for the price that I had paid. We returned to China, and I never got around to buying another one. The time for us to return to the States for good came, and sadly my husband and I said our tearful goodbyes and loaded up our taxi. Just before we left, my dear friend, Paula, handed me 100 Yuan, which was roughly $12.00 in Chinese currency. She told me to buy another Starbucks mug and think of her whenever I used it. We got to the Beijing airport and I rushed to the Starbucks and purchased my cup. As the stewardess came down the aisle on the plane offering soda and green tea, I carefully poured my beverage into my mug. As I drank, I thought of my friendship that God had given me with Paula Connor. What a blessing to have her in my life!
Then I thought of another mug that a friend in China had given me. I have always liked Mary Engelbreit stuff. While shopping one day, Cheryl Watkins found a coffee mug that was black with a bright red cherry. It was very “Mary Engelbreit”, so she bought if for me. I realized that I had two very special mugs that I was bringing home from China. So, for the next few months I alternated between those two mugs as I drank my coffee each morning. While I sipped, I would thank God for these friends who are really more like family.
Since I started collecting mugs, my collection has really grown! I have the pink Hello Kitty mug from Veronica, the one my husband bought me at Disney World, and numerous others. Each time I choose a cup in the morning, it is a great reminder of how good God has been to me.
In my kitchen cupboard there sits a mug that I will probably never use again, but I wont throw it out. Somebody who hurt me deeply gave it to me. I have never had a person hurt me like this particular person did. My first thought was to get rid of the mug so that I wouldn’t be reminded of the person who mistreated me… but honestly, this mug has really been a good tool to help me grow as a Christian. Each time I see it, I pray for the person who gave it to me, I thank God for everything that I learned from him, and I ask the Lord to help me to treat others better than this person treated me.
Who knows…. Maybe someday my relationship with this person will be restored and I can dust off that mug and use it again. I will be glad that for all that time I prayed for him instead of hating him. It is amazing how the Lord can use a mug!
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