Even though I made hundreds of carafes of coffee and crafted thousands of espresso drinks working as a barista in college, I never actually drank coffee myself until I was in my 30’s and trying to stay awake through grad school. With no tea available during an 8-hour class day, I reluctantly turned to sweetened coffee to keep myself alert and engaged. And thus I began my personal journey with coffee.

I already knew how to use expensive equipment and follow clear directions in a coffee shop, but I didn’t know the first thing about making a pot of coffee in the morning at home. I researched methods and techniques, beans and grinders, filters and contraptions. I was looking for the holy grail of delicious and foolproof home brewing.  I got on the neighborhood Facebook swap group and tried as many methods as I could get my hands on: percolating, pouring-over, fresh-pressing, and cold-brewing each had their turn. And yet, each method left me unsatisfied for one reason or another. I continued my quest, mostly unsatisfied.

And then, in my last year of seminary, a group of us visited Colombia. As in, not the capital of South Carolina, but the country: the place where they arguably grow the best coffee beans in the world. Everywhere we went we were served coffee. One day we drove up high in the rural mountains outside of Cali and met some coffee growers. We had conversations with this amazing little church community and heard their stories and challenges. They served us dinner, which of course included coffee. I watched how they prepared it, fascinated: they poured grounds into a boiling pot of water and let it sit. They patiently let the grounds settle to the bottom of the pot and poured directly from the pot into the cup. So simple, yet so good. Perfection from the source.

I did not need to look any further. I no longer felt the need to fuss and stew and build anxiety around always searching for a better thing. If the Colombians could throw grounds into boiling water and pour it into a cup, then any simple method I had that worked for me was good enough. My quest to be satisfied was about me not understanding that I had what I needed the entire time. Instead of always wanting something better, I could sit and enjoy my coffee.

In today’s scripture, Jesus has been taken up to heaven. Perfection from the source was here on earth in the flesh for a limited time. Yet we keep acting like it wasn’t enough. Like God didn’t do it right that time. But God does have it right and we got what we needed and what we need to continue to live in God even if Jesus isn’t walking around in human form with us. We don’t need to look any further. We know Jesus. We have his love, his example, his Words, his stories and his commands. We know Jesus is enough. What are we anxiously chasing after, when sitting and enjoying life with God in Jesus is available right here and now?