Basically, to get instant coffee, manufacturers brew actual coffee, and then freeze-dry it. You take it home, add it to water, and viola, "coffee." If you're into that sort of thing. I recall a commercial several years ago, where an instant coffee company claimed they were going into a restaurant and replacing actual coffee with their instant concoction and seeing if anyone noticed. Of course, none of the paid actors did -- and some even suggested it was the best cup they've ever had. Anyone who's ever drank both instant coffee and the real thing, however, knows that this is obviously nonsense.
It's not that it isn't real coffee -- it is. But it lacks something. A robustness. A depth. Compared to a quality cup, brewed from freshly ground beans, instant coffee is just... thin. Instant coffee certainly has its uses -- the satisfaction of a quick caffeine fix -- but flavor isn't one of them.
Similarly, many Christians are content to settle for a kind of instant Christianity. They'll attend church twice a week. Sing songs. Listen to a sermon. Put some money in the offering plate. But throughout the week, they lack relationship with God. Life gets in the way. Work, kids, social obligations... our day fills up pretty fast. This is me on many, many days. A quick, silent prayer, my God fix is in, and I get on with my day.
It works, I guess. Gets the job done. But oh! What a shallow faith that is! To go to church and enjoy the worship of authentic Christians, only to freeze dry the experience and supply myself with a watered-down version throughout the week!
I wonder: if I was as demanding in the quality of the time I spend with my God as I am when it comes to quality of my coffee, would my devotion pass the test? Would I find a faith deep and robust, rich and satisfying? Would my faith be a realization of Christ's promise of an abundance of life? Or would I find it thin; a tinny-tasting approximation of the real thing?
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