Occasionally I am given a Starbuck’s gift card, and I treat myself to a specialty coffee drink. My friend, Lauren, used to work at Starbuck’s, so I told her what I liked and she taught me the proper way to order it at Starbucks: Quad venti no-foam extra-hot latte. Delicious.

So the other day, with a Starbuck’s gift card from my boss in my wallet, I went through my favorite Starbuck’s drive-thru on the way to my mom’s.

Turning into the parking lot, I heard a car revving its engine behind me as I made my way to the drive-thru lane. Looking in my side view mirror, I saw a shiny, late model Mustang. The driver was obviously in a hurry to get his coffee, and guess I was moving too slow for his liking. So I stopped and motioned for him to pass me and get in front of me in the coffee line. Though I could see he was angry and frustrated, he did not take the offer to go in front of me. So I got in line and placed my order. He followed me.

As I moved up to the window to pay, the driver of the Mustang was yelling at me…loudly….cursing at me. Hand gestures and the whole shebang. Cursing. Loud cursing. Clearly, my mere existence was annoying him. Something I had done…or didn’t do…bothered him. Or he was just having a really bad morning and I was feeling the brunt of it. Either way, it was unpleasant.

In those few moments, scriptures about God’s kindness kept coming to my mind. This guy needed some heart softening, and God’s kindness was just what I ordered for him. When I pulled up the window to pay for my latte, I told the barista I wanted to pay for the coffee for the guy behind me.

“You want to pay for his coffee? He was cursing at you,” the barista said.

“Exactly,” I responded. “Bless those who curse you.”

She looked at me funny and then rung me up for my latte and his coffee.

I told her, “Please tell him that God loves him and wanted to bless him today.”

“Um, OK,” the barista replied.

This man was very angry. He frightened me. I’ll admit. I was a bit scared. But in the midst of the unsettling situation, God’s peace filled my heart. 

God’s kindness and love prevailed. 

This was not me. This was God’s love through me. God gets the glory.


I knew I was to bless that man with God’s kindness and a cup of coffee.

I pulled away from the window and never saw the man’s reaction. But I prayed for him as I drove to my mom’s and sipped on my latte. I prayed God would touch his heart with His perfect love, that He would heal any hurts in that man’s heart and that His kindness would lead him to repentance.

God’s kindness leads us, leads me, to repentance.

Maybe as that man drank his coffee that morning, just maybe he smelled the sweet aroma of Christ’s love. Maybe, just maybe he heard the whispers of God’s perfect love. Maybe, just maybe he came to know God’s kindness through a cup of coffee.

Lisa Chadd is the winner of Serendipty Saturday’s prize – 10 Unglued Participant Guides and the DVD teaching by Lysa TerKeurst! Lisa – Congratulations! Your group will LOVE the study! Praying for God to form your group of teachers and friends perfectly!

Amanda Steingiesser is the winner of the One-Year Bible and also the Unglued Devotional by Lysa! Congratulations Amanda! Contact me with your mailing address! 
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