My mother was not quick to throw things away. Not that she was a hoarder, but she made good use of the things she had. I remember one day in particular standing in her kitchen, looking in her cupboard for a mug for my hot tea. (We often shared a cup of tea together. It’s from her that I got my love for tea.) As I saw a number of worn, chipped mugs, I looked at them disparagingly and thought to myself “Mom, why don’t you throw these old things away and get some new ones!” I didn’t say it, but I thought it.

Then came the day I am standing in my own kitchen and looking in my cupboard for my favorite mug, the one with a big chip in it! And suddenly I understood my mother. I didn’t want to throw that old mug away. I loved it. I wanted it. And I could still use it.

Sometimes I feel like an old mug. I am faded and worn. (As I get older, perhaps ‘worn out’ is a better description.) I am not perfect and have a number of flaws. I may even have a few chips and cracks. And sometimes I feel like I have been used up and no longer useful. Does anyone else feel that way?

But guess what? This old mug belongs to God! In fact, I think I am one of His favorites! He is not going to get rid of me! He loves me. He wants me. And He can still use me.

Yes, I do have an old mug. And so does God.

Ten years ago my daughter suggested I do a blog. She knows I like to dabble with writing and thought this would be a good outlet for me. She even set me up on WordPress and I quickly called it Mug of Hope. And it’s been sitting dormant ever since, waiting for me to write something!

A little over a year ago, my husband suddenly passed away. Cardiac arrest. His heart just stopped. And so did my life. At least that’s how I felt. Our lives were so intertwined. We had been married for almost 48 years and served in the ministry together. We worked together as we pastored the churches we served. We raised four children and were enjoying spoiling the grandkids. Also, because of my disability, which is degenerative, I was becoming more and more dependent on Paul. He did so much for me. I knew that now my life would never be the same. Among the many questions I had was what kind of ministry would I have now. No longer the “pastor’s wife”, no longer living next to the church, and unable to drive, what would I do now?

Then I remembered this, the blog. And I realized that now is the time for Mug of Hope. But this blog will not just be about me. My desire is to share thoughts of encouragement and inspiration from the Word of God and day-to-day experiences, to give hope when things seem hopeless. So grab your favorite mug of coffee or hot tea and join me here to share a Mug of Hope together!