Bad Coffee

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16

Karin ruled her family with her explosive, irrational anger. Her children and grandchildren never knew what would set her off. It felt like being air-dropped into the minefields of Afghanistan—everyone knew they had to get out, but everyone was too afraid to take a step.

Out of the blue, on a family trip to an amusement park, Karin stopped in the middle of the crowded cobblestone pathway and screamed at her children and grandchildren. They were in “the happiest place on earth,” but Mama wasn’t happy—again. All the daughters-in-law quickly escorted the grandchildren out of earshot while Karin unleashed her venom. Even strangers passing with their children gave Karin a wide berth. Finally, her two sons were able to get Karin to lower her voice as she continued to rant and rave. Her answer was to leave the family, abandoning the family event, and she pursued her own plan.

No one in the family knew where she went, until her husband called a few days later. While dad conversed with his adult children, Karin got on the phone and said, “Oh dear, wasn’t the park just awful? I got ahold of some bad coffee and just wasn’t myself.”

From then on, any time Karin had an outburst, she blamed it on “bad coffee.” Do you have some “bad coffee”?—some excuse you are using for out-of-line behaviors? Are you still rationalizing choices because you say you are “tired,” “under a lot of stress,” or some other unique yet unbelievable excuse?

Call it what it is: a behavior, a choice, or an overstated reaction is really a sin that is holding you back in life. James 5:16 explains, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Confess your sin—everyone knows it isn’t the coffee.