It’s official. I have any addiction. It started so innocently. “I’ll just try it. I can stop if I want to.” Pretty soon, it was any everydat thing - something I found myself thinking about from the moment I woke up and looking forward to at night.
Yes, I am addicted to Starbucks. I love it. My drink of choice? A grande Americano with no room for cream. I’m not even really sure what that mean! But I love it.
Here’s how bad it is. Right now Lisa and I are enjoying a quick getaway in New York City. We are sitting in the midst of one of the richest, most diverse communities that has ever existed. And where am I? Sitting in a Starbucks - one that looks exactly like the one I frequent in Katy, Texas.
Sure, I could be sitting at the Carnegie Deli right now or clamoring to get a glimpse of Al Roker’s bald head. But instead I’m listening to a barista yell the words, “Iced chai tea late’? Hello? Iced chai tea late’?!”
In a world so diverse and so unique - a creation that holds within it almost infinite possibilities for enjoyment - I have often wondered why God would seemingly wire us to be creatures of habit. Why would he give us this world and then place something in us that desires continuity, stability, and that “just like I’m used to” feeling? Any ideas?
Why do we crave egg Mcmuffins - or fricking Fruity Pebbles - when we could have almost anything else, particularly in North America?
One thought is that our desire for routine is not a part of how we are created but a response within us, a survival reflex in response to the fall into sin. Once death entered the picture in the garden of Eden and our relationship with God and peace in our earthly relationships were ruined and life became more of a crap shoot, we responded by grabbing hold of the things we CAN control and trying to find peace in them.
I’m not sure. What do you think? But then again I could be over thinking things. It’s just coffee. (sip) Damn good coffee.
May 13th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Okay, I’ll try a response. I think the desire for routine is a good thing that God wires into us. In a fallen world, though, it has been perverted, misused, and unappreciated. We tend to make routines of things we like. We tend to get addicted to things that give us pleasure. When God put Adam and Eve into Eden, there must have been a routine that they got into: Care for the animals, water the plants, worship God, have fellowship with one another (naked!!), worship some more, eat, and so it went. They were probably addicted to those things, too. They probably felt they couldn’t live without them. When sin entered the world, so did the misuse of routines. Today we have addictions to drugs, sex, porn, work, kids. We have come, at times, to view routine as undesirable, thus leading many to seek affairs, divorces, or irresponsible activities, seeking a thrill instead of doing the “boring” things that make families work.
Routine doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When I got back from the mission trip to Mexico, what I missed most were the devotions. It became a routine that I longed for when I got back (I’ve become much more faithful with my own devotions and reading to the kids since then). I can’t imagine staying at home on a Sunday morning because I long to hear the band play and to hear Dan or Bill preach and I can’t imagine what my week would be like if I didn’t (not to mention the fact that the coffee at SevenLakes is worth the trip!). My wife and I have started making a routine out of praying together before we drive home after work.
I’m not sure if any of this makes sense. I guess what I’m trying to say is, Matt, drink up!! But if you start having palpitations, see your doctor.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
You should go crazy and try Iced Americano - no straw
best served when you’ve got a nice view of mountains, hills, or at least some grass so you can enjoy it
i like 2 pumps of vanilla (not the standard 4) and some half/half personally..
May 15th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
As a person who can’t stand the smell or taste of coffee and can’t be near beans being ground for fear of a migrane - I don’t understand the desire to drink coffee. I do know that God wired me this way to prevent a major addiction to the stuff. The atmosphere of a Starbucks (or Caribou to the Northerners) is so inviting. It is a time to “be still and listen”. We go with a friend or loved one and just sit and talk. No laundry folding while talking, no dishes, no phone survey. Just stillness. Is it just me or do we now enjoy paying for that time of rest that used to be built into the day/week for us by God?
May 16th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
mmmm…Coffee…I haven’t had my Brazilian Dark Roast w/ a little cream from Dunn Bros. today. I love going to Dunn Bros every Mon/Wed morning (8:30-11:30) because I love the coffee, the regulars, & the baristas. I get more work done there than in my office, learn more about my community, and have developed great relationships with people that I wouldn’t have met elsewhere!
I suppose I’ve picked up an addiction along the way, but it’s always been about more than coffee…
May 19th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
“Damn good coffee.”
Hate to be a prude, but, isn’t cursing frowned upon in the church?
May 20th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Matt,
Larry’s comment would make a darn good blog topic. Care to opine?
May 20th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
“Damn good coffee.”
As a coffee aficionado, myself, I have to disagree. While Starbucks makes some ‘good’ coffee, I have discovered better brews. For me it’s all about where the coffee comes from, where are they getting their beans and the like. I will admit that the newer coffees from Starbucks are better than what they had before. I still prefer Caribou or local coffee shops. But that’s just me!