Can You Drink This Cup?
And Then Clean It?

Spiritual formation is the lifelong journey of celebrating the image of God within us while courageously bringing the places least like Christ into the light of God’s transforming love.

Last night, I had a bit of a nuclear explosion. A tectonic shift. A miserable five minutes. (Perhaps you know the kind.)

As I sat there, I noticed the cup of wine my sweetie had poured for me was empty. But the dregs at the bottom told the story of what I had just consumed.

And I remembered Jesus’ question to James and John:

“Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” (Matthew 20:22)

Those guys wanted the good stuff. The glory. The benefits of following Jesus. They had no idea what a life with Christ would cost them. They didn’t yet understand that following Jesus meant drinking the whole cup—even to the dregs.

Henri Nouwen, in Can You Drink the Cup?, invites us to hold, lift, and drink the cup of our lives. Not just the sweet sips, but the bitter ones, too.

And then I woke up this morning.

Wouldn’t you know it? Jesus was talking about cups AGAIN!

This time, he’s confronting religious people who are so concerned with cleaning the outside of the cup that they’ve neglected what’s happening on the inside.

“First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.” (Matthew 23:26)

You just can’t make this stuff up!

Apparently, we’re not only invited to drink the cup of our lives all the way to the dregs. We’re also invited to clean the inside!

To notice what’s lurking beneath our polished exteriors. Our reactions. Our resentments. Our need to be right. Our less-than-Christlike five minutes.

Not to shame ourselves, but to allow the transforming love of Christ to do its work from the inside out.

And don’t even get me started on Luke’s version, where Jesus ends this teaching by telling us to give alms! (Luke 11:41)

Because apparently, a clean cup isn’t just about personal holiness. It’s about generosity. Justice. Compassion. What happens inside us is meant to overflow into how we love others.

Spiritual formation. Drink the cup. Clean the cup. Give from the cup.

And repeat.

So I’m wondering: How are you drinking the cup of your life these days? What might need some attention on the inside? And what practice helps you live a life that increasingly reflects the love of Christ?

With faith, hope, and especially love,
clare

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