Ever been to an antique store?
My favorites are the little ones, tucked into a main street lineup, with an old door that jingles as you push it open. Walking in, you can just feel the stories swirling in the air. Knick knacks and aged wood, tarnished silver and thin china; all breathing out whispers of their past lives.
I collect teacups. It started over two decades ago when I worked a full time job at a coffee shop during a gap year between high school and college. Along the wall opposite to the pastry case were shelves lined with gifts and goodies. It wasn’t long after I started the job that I noticed a lovely floral teacup gleaming on a shelf. It was charming. I had my first paycheck burning a hole in my pocket, so like any decent, self-respecting teenager, I plunked down my hard-earned money immediately. Before long, I was scouring the local antique shops for more cups, ones that had a history.
I now have a collection that includes cups from around the globe. Some have porcelain so thin and old I can almost see through their walls, while others are somewhat new and much more sturdy.
One thing they all have in common is that they’re small. Apparently tea drinkers are sippers, not chuggers (although I have a suspicion they just refill more frequently than a coffee addict). As an avid coffee drinker, I adore a large mug for a whopping cup of joe, but tea cups are more refined and delicate. They’re designed for dainty portions.
Which brings us to our next idiom:
A Tempest in a Teacup.
This one has an ancient origin, but surprisingly, I’d never heard of it before. During the time of the Romans, the saying was exitare fluctus in simpulo, literally “to stir up a tempest in a small ladle”.
No fine china for the conquerors of the ancient world. But the idea translates. Basically, it was making a big deal over nothing. By the mid-1600s the phrase had morphed into “a storm in a cream bowl” and the final version, “a tempest in a teacup”, was brought to us by the tea-loving Brits in the late 1800s.
It’s quite a picture, isn’t it?
The word tempest conjures images of massive waves and sea spray, wind-whipped water, tumultuous and foamy. Pretty hard to imagine that in the confines of a teacup. But it’s made me stop and ponder. How often do I do just that? Something little happens…
- the internet goes down
- I get stuck in traffic
- an Amazon delivery is late
- my coffee order isn’t right
Am I getting too personal? Don’t worry…I’m talking to myself here. These are all minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, yet I so often allow tempests to form over the smallest of things.
Proverbs 15:8 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”
The writer again says in Proverbs 12:16 that, “The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.”
This current age we live in tells us we have every right to respond how we feel to each and every “insult”, perceived or legit. Scripture whispers a better way.
So, today I will let my display of fine china remind me of a greater truth. The One who calms the stormy seas can calm the tempests of my own creation.
Holy Spirit, do your work in me!
Resources Consulted
Funk, Charles Earle. Heavens to Betsy! & other curious sayings. Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. 1955.
ASSIGNMENT: Comment below! Answer:
- what are your “teacup tempests”?
- how do you calm the tiny turbulences that threaten your day’s peace?
- have you ever used this idiom before? Tell me about it!
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Longing & Belonging 
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