That fateful morning I quickly poured my cup of coffee as soon as it was hot and ready. Been looking forward to it all the way to the office. Well, yes, I guess could have been a little too eager. And I guess I may have been a little distracted. Thankfully I looked down at the cup just before coffee was all over the countertop. Another second and I would have been cleaning.
But still, it all looked just fine. After all, full is good. Really, no problem. Surely I can carry a full cup of coffee across a room. I might have to be a little more careful than normal as I carry it to my desk and avoid tripping on the edge of the rug. But hey, c’mon, I do have average motor skills.
But after a few cautious steps it happened. In the middle of a balancing act worthy of the Flying Wallendas, the coffee sloshed over the top of the cup and onto my hand. The instant pain caused me to instinctively jerk…no need to say any more, you know what happened. Now I had a stinging hand, a mess to clean up (on the rug no less) and a definitely darker outlook on my morning. All because I put too much coffee in my cup.
Reminds me a lot of some well-meaning folks today. They plan and schedule and cram so many things into their twenty four hour days that they can’t really handle any of it very well, not for very long anyway. Folks, remember, we humans have our limits when it comes to fitting spouse, family, work, play, and community obligations into our lives. It doesn’t matter how great your juggling talent, your balancing ability, or your coping skills – you do have a limit.
Everyone has a coffee cup rim on their life that warns them enough is enough. And if you ignore it, there will come a time when your hot coffee sloshes over the top. It is called crash and burn. And the pain that results will cause a reaction that can be felt by everyone who touches your life. May be an explosion or a slow erosion, but there will be a reaction.
A coffee cup can only hold just so much, and when it is filled to overflowing, the cupbearer will know exactly what has happened…even if he isn’t watching what he is doing.
Painful lesson. Real effective learning tool. Smarter person.
We are Dr. Andy & Renie Bowman, authors of the nationally syndicated "CoffeeTime Column" and hosts of popular podcast "CoffeeTime with Andy & Renie Bowman". 