Movies, Tea, and Teacups

Earlier this week my husband and I went to see the film, Iron Lady.  I like tea scenes in movies, and British films usually provide many of them.   Iron Lady was no exception. Margaret Thatcher [brilliantly portrayed by Meryl Streep] asks the question in one scene, "Shall I be mother [and pour the tea]?"

In another scene depicting Thatcher's younger years, she declares to Denis [her husband], "One's life has got to matter.  I can't die washing up a teacup!"  In a closing scene, she's alone in her kitchen, afflicted with Alzheimer's, washing a teacup.  Life had almost come full circle, and her life definitely did matter. 

On the way home from the theater, my memory drifted back to the time when my perception of  a teacup became far more than a pretty drinking vessel.

I worked as a church secretary for 22 years [church pictured above], and resigned in 2004 to begin a new chapter in my life - tea!  My years of service were recognized on a Sunday morning, and the church paid my way to a tea related training conference they knew I was planning to attend.  Spontaneous speaking in front of a lot people isn't my forte, but as I stepped to the podium the analogy of a teacup came to mind and I shared why I wanted my life to be like the teacups I would be demonstrating in my new job.  

[1] A genuine bone China teacup is translucent and lets light shine through.     

[2] Teacups are bi-functional.  They receive and they dispense.

[3] Teacups, especially with frequent use, have flaws yet they remain useful and fulfill their purpose.

Application: May Jesus shine through me to dispense His love, even though I'm an imperfect vessel!