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When our family lived in Birmingham , Alabama , my favorite burger joint was a place called Milo’s. The menu at Milo’s consisted of the following: Hamburger, Cheeseburger and Fries. That’s it. The burgers all came with a delicious barbeque sauce. There were no vegetables or special sauces and not too many decisions to make… cheese or no cheese? ...fries or no fries? There is beauty in simplicity. Of course you also had to choose a beverage but any Milo’s regular would opt for the sweet tea. Milo’s had the second best “sweet tea" in the world.
If you’ve never lived in the Southeastern United States , you may be asking “what’s so special about sweet tea?" But this goes way beyond just adding a little sugar to your tea. Apparently someone down South observed that sugar doesn’t dissolve well in a cold beverage. So they dump large quantities of sugar in it during the brewing process. The result is a liquid so sweet you could use it as pancake syrup in a pinch. So who makes the best tea in the world? I’m getting there.
My daughter turned three years old while we lived in Birmingham . For her third birthday, we bought her a tea set. The set was complete with a little pitcher and four cups with saucers. The cups would turn a dark pink when you poured cold liquid in them, giving the appearance of a colorful beverage, even though it was just water. The magical tea set provided lots of laughter and joy (sometimes I even let my daughter play with it). But the destiny of the tea set, like most birthday toys, was a short period of continuous use, followed by less frequent tea parties and ultimately retirement to the shelf.
One day, several months after the birthday, my little girl came into the room where I was watching TV and asked “Daddy would you like some tea?" I said “Sure!" Following her into her room, I saw the tea set on her little table. She had gotten it down from the shelf and filled the pitcher with water, only spilling a little, and had everything set for us. She poured a cup and handed it to me on a saucer, then poured a cup for herself.
I looked at the cup. It had not changed colors. There was a little bit of dust floating on top of the water, since the tea set had been on the shelf for a few weeks prior to this tea party. She must have used her little step stool to reach the faucet in the bathroom in order to fill the pitcher with lukewarm water. “It’s tea, drink it Daddy!" And drink it I did. In fact the second and third cups were better than the first. I said “this is the best tea I have ever had" and I meant it. That tea party taught me something about perfect gifts.
Have you ever tried to serve God, only to make a mess of it? Maybe you had good intentions but the outcome was disastrous. Maybe you sang a song or taught a class or tried to explain your feelings for God to a friend and it didn’t work out. How do you think God received your gift? Do you think He said “you were off key" or “you blew it"? Of course not. If you offered your best from a pure heart, He said “that was perfect" and He meant it. One example from the Bible is found at the end of Mark, Chapter 12, the story of the widow’s offering.
Whether in our work, our relationships or in the application of our abilities, all God wants is our best, offered from a pure heart. Those are perfect gifts and they are sweeter than Milo’s tea.
Steve Radford was born in Virginia and currently resides in North Texas. He writes mostly about personal experiences that have shaped his view of the world.
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» left by Barbara Fuqua from Roanoke, VA (1 year 111 days ago.)
This article really touched me. I forwarded it to a couple friends at work. Steve is some writter!! Respond to this comment
» left by Cari Jones(136) (1 year 110 days ago.)
A story wonderfully told that captures the reader and leads them to a beautiful and perfect conclusion. Respond to this comment
» left by Susan Thom(9,014) Susan Thom (1 year 110 days ago.)
hi steve,
what a nice story.
the best part for me was when your daughter asked “Daddy would you like some tea?" and you said said “Sure!" sometimes, we parents are tired or had a long day or are thinking about something else, and say, "not right now, honey, maybe later" you simply said yes, and you'll probably remember that cup of tea for the rest of your life, as your daughter will remember you said yes!
nice article,
best regards,
sue thom Respond to this comment
» left by Judi Lake(2,669) Judi Lake (1 year 109 days ago.)
Steve, as usual, you have 'the gift' to get to the heart! You have a very lucky daughter and she will always remember her 'tea parties' with daddy -- Perfact ending to a wonderful story because God, being our 'Daddy' is all about Love. Thanks for a great story! Respond to this comment
» left by Steve Radford(806) Steve Radford (1 year 109 days ago.)
I finally got the chance to log on and check my messages. What wonderful comments! Thank you for the encouragement. Steve Respond to this comment
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