“Good ideas start with brainstorming. Great ideas start with coffee.” One-liners like these are not only popular on coffee mugs; they are also pervasive cultural notions. For many, coffee is more than just a beverage. It is a necessary gift God gave to humankind, as it provides one with energy, creativity, and even the ability to socialize well. We see how, in God’s good creation, coffee is found on four different continents and grows in a variety of hundred different species. It is not a surprise that God intended to caffeinate our world! 

But what if this good gift from God begins to dominate us in ways that curb our freedom? What if a gift that is meant to free us turns itself into a tyrant that enslaves us? Here’s a personal story about the power of caffeine and the impact it has had on my life that some of you might resonate with:

For a long time, coffee was my key to unlocking productivity and a source of energy. The warmth of it, combined with its soul-capturing taste and smell, got me hooked. It wasn’t just a drink; it was a lifeline that gave me the stamina to face the world. Coffee also helped me get past my introvertedness. Socializing, which has often been a challenge, became easier once I had a cup of coffee. I was able to have conversations more freely, and the confidence that I needed to engage with others seemed to come with every sip. But as time went on, I began to notice that something was changing. In fact, I was changing. 

What started as a simple ritual turned into a need. I found myself becoming dependent on it, to the extent that I was reaching out for coffee less out of choice and more out of necessity. Without it, I couldn’t work effectively, and social interactions felt forced and uncomfortable. I realized that I was no longer connecting with people because of my social abilities but because I had a stimulant in my system. The more I relied on coffee, the more it seemed to erode my natural capacity for joy, connection and creativity. I was on the verge of addiction, and it was terrifying.

As my dependence grew, so did my awareness of its negative effects. I began to see how something as simple and seemingly harmless as coffee could take control of my life. The very thing that had once freed me from fatigue and social anxiety was now enslaving me. I had to confront a hard truth: I wasn’t free. At that point, I began to realize that my freedom wasn’t in the ability to drink coffee whenever I wanted, but in mastering my desire for it. My freedom lay in the power to say no when everything inside me was craving instant gratification. 

Soon, my personal struggle became a microcosm of a larger issue: our tendency to let the good things in life dominate us. Whether it is food, technology, relationships, or even coffee, anything can enslave us when we lose the ability to steward it well. And this is where the real danger lies—not in the gift itself, but in our tendency to get enslaved by it. 

However, there is hope. Our inability to be free doesn’t have the final word. Recognizing that we can embrace a freedom that does not come from self-indulgence but from a discipline by which we can choose to master our desires rather than be mastered by them is how we could enjoy God’s good gifts. The journey to reclaiming our freedom from everything that enslaves us begins with the simple recognition that God created everything good and has given us the power to not let anything dominate us. As we recognize this, we will find that the joy of even a cup of coffee is in our ability to own our desire for it. 

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Written by Roselina Vundi