Infused
I found a great little coffee shop in South Carolina last week. It was simple, quaint and unique, just how I like them. My stop included breakfast which was my first introduction to a delicious new breakfast, “The Sweet Spot” – homemade bread, goat cheese, blackberry jam infused with lavender, topped with fresh berries. My taste buds were elated.
I asked the barista to tell me about the lavender infused jam. He said that everything they made in the coffee shop was homemade. Then he related how the jam was made and explained the infusion process. I listened and thought, I’ll make this when I get home. Too delicious not to have this again.
Ever get hit by a word that reverberates inside your head and heart for days? Some words resonate deep within and lead to further contemplation. Funny how words can do that. Infuse has had this effect on me. It is a word I don’t often use, so I looked it up, as tends to be my practice when a word percolates.
Infuse – to cause to become an element of something; to cause to be permeated with something
Lavender infused blackberry jam is a multi step process. For something to become an element of something else, time is required. It doesn’t happen quickly. If you rush the process, you won’t get the flavor you might have hoped. Done correctly, the lavender is infused into the blackberry jam. The two elements meld into one.
Isn’t this what Christ desires to have with us – to become an element of Him, to be permeated with Him? A melding into one, where two elements become indistinguishable and inseparable, where our union is such that our hearts beat rhythmically and our breath cadenced perfectly.
These moments of infusion, I do pray for. I am most aware of these moments of infusion when I receive communion. When I open myself to be a vessel for receiving the Lord, then, I am most aware of this union. Through communion, the Lord shares himself with me – the two elements meld into one. It is sacred and mysterious. It is a gift, one to which the depths I don’t fully comprehend.
I concentrate on this melding, on this infusion of Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity into my being. And my heart is infused.
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity” (John 17:22-23).
A great word to ponder, for sure!
“infused” Yes! Makes me think of the vine and the branches as well-a relationship so close you can no longer distinguish where one stops and the other begins. Like the lavender and the jam, depending on who does the infusion-the balance of flavor will be different. We are all unique, with our own particular “concentration of infusion”, each a delight to Him who is the “infuser” 🙂
Eloquently, succintly and insightfully expressed expressed!!
Leslie, thank you for sharing! I look forward to receiving your insightful writings!
Great food for thought. Enjoy your insights and reading your blog.
“A melding into one, where two elements become indistinguishable and inseparable, where our union is such that our hearts beat rhythmically and our breath cadenced perfectly.” Beautiful line. It exemplifies that Christ is within us, and Christ is in the Father. We are one with Him when turned to Him. I hadn’t seen how communion is also turning to the Him within in…infused. Thanks for this!
The definition of infused is beautiful and what a great way to describe our walk with Christ. Oh, that I may be infused! I’m sure I will be pondering your thoughts on this all day.