Taste and See

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who finds refuge in him.

Psalms 34:8

A friend of mine came for a visit with her kids over spring break. She prepared some fabulous burgers for our indoor picnic. As we were setting the table, I noticed that she brought bean sprouts as a topping. All the kids sat down to eat, and when mine were asked if they wanted the bean sprouts on their burger, they turned up their noses and said, "I don't like those." I had to laugh because the reality of it was that I had never bought bean sprouts, so I know for a fact that my boys have never tasted them. Already, in their young, opinionated mind, they had an opposition to the nutritious little spouts. With just one glance at the unique appearance, they deemed this burger topper as inedible. Well, I didn't force my boys to try them, and no one made a big deal about it. But the imagery has stuck with me since that day, and I was reminded of it when I read this scripture in my devotion this morning. How many times do we turn our noses up at things that are so wonderful for us, because we have already drawn a conclusion about it before we ever give it a try? When I was a young girl, fear was the great motivator in my life, and the force that kept me from experiencing all that life had to offer. Granted, it probably kept me out of a heap of trouble, but in the process, I missed out on extraordinary things that would have changed my life. Other times, my life has been so comfortable that the status quo had become my only desire. Life was perfect and conflict free, and that's how I wanted it to stay. In this verse, we are invited to "taste " of the Lord. To give His way a try. Many times I have told my kids to taste something, and then if they didn't like it, they didn't have to eat it. Until they actually tried it, they would never have know if it was the most delicious morsel ever to cross their lips or not. There is a sense of mystery in those few moments prior to the sampling, and we watch intently the faces of our little ones for their reactions. As with food, many of our life choices are open ended. We aren't going to know if we like something until we put in an effort to try it. This invitation in the Psalms, however, is very different. Yes, it is an invitation to "Taste and see", but right away it tells us that the outcome is going to be positive; "that the Lord is good"! It doesn't say, "Try God, you might like Him" or "Give him a chance and maybe something will click." In effect, the only way your wouldn't see that "the Lord is good" is if you never "taste and see". With that logic, who wouldn't choose to try putting the Lord in your life? Maybe you are reading this and have never given God a place in your life other than a religious Sunday morning check off box out of tradition or obligation. He wants to be so much more to each of us than just a meaningless ritual or an aspirin in times of pain. He wants each of us to take refuge in Him, to trust Him by taking the first step in His direction. The step might feel really strange at first. It might seem even scary to some. But I assure you that what will follow will be unlike anything you have ever experienced before. A whole new world will open that has always been there, but you never knew existed. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, give Him a try and you will not be disappointed.