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My Coffee Habit

Looking back at my youth, I have fond memories of watching my Swedish great-grandparents and grandparents practice a beautiful habit. I looked forward to the day when they would invite me to join them. My parents followed in their footsteps, and eventually I modeled it for our kids. This family tradition is a special habit called “Fika.”

Pronounced “fee-ka,” it’s Swedish for “a break in the day for coffee and something sweet, expressly for the purpose of setting aside a moment for quality time.” Fika is a time of sweet joy and rest.

You may be tempted to tune me out, thinking this is a shallow blog about coffee, and there are WAY too many of those circulating everywhere. But indulge me a bit further. Imagine you’re at the table, enjoying a cup of coffee and something sweet, while spending dedicated time with someone you love.

Each of you chooses your special mug, the coffee is poured, and the inviting aroma is enjoyed as you sit at the table. You may pass a plate of Swedish scorpa or pepparkakor, or just enjoy a good-old donut that is cut and shared. What comes next is the sweetest and the most desired part of the coffee break—the shared joy of conversation that makes the world sit still for a while.

Over afternoon coffee, decisions have been made, tears shared, jokes told, prayers offered, friends comforted, challenges faced. Lives are poured into during this important break in the day. There’s just something about a warm cup of love that we all crave. Peer into any coffee shop on your way home today and you’ll see it in action.

We are created to do Fika together and with our Heavenly Father, celebrating and recharging the body of Christ. Joy is in the sharing of something sweet as we sit together at His table and enjoy fellowship with Him.

Ecclesiastes 5:20 says, “For he (or she) will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy in his heart.”  I don’t know if coffee was available as Solomon wrote this, but I see beauty in this verse that encourages me. Sometimes the days of our life are hard, painful, and seem to go on for long seasons that we wish we could forget. But having a heathy habit of setting aside time to enjoy sweet fellowship with our Father at His table can restore the joy He places in our hearts.

The Lord says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you…(what?) Rest.” This time of rest I crave can’t happen though if I don’t first come. There is never a time when He is not waiting there at the table for me. When I sit down with Him, I taste and always see that He is good.

Over the years, I’ve become even more grateful for this family tradition. Intentional time at coffee tables is precious. It offers a break in our busy lives when we can pray and settle the concerns of life with our Savior.

Early morning, before anything else starts in my home, is the best time for me. Alone at our kitchen table, I receive sweet words and encouragement from my Father. All I have to do is faithfully meet Him. The invitation stands and the time I spend fills me up for the day. I thirst for it over and over. As the day progresses, opportunities often arise to share time with others who seek encouragement and direction, and He is always with us. Some realize what is happening and some don’t, but I know He is the inviter and I bring the friend.

We all long to be cared for and know we are loved, and good company is a sweet blessing of this life. Who do you know who needs this invitation today—to come and experience the pause and taste the sweet fellowship your Father has designed? Set it aside faithfully and taste His goodness. I cannot tell you how much I’m anticipating the next cup now!