Savor the Flavor

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8

Yesterday was the first Sunday of the month which means it was communion Sunday at my church, and I’d been counting down the days. Let’s just start by setting the record straight--hands down, my church has the best communion bread on the planet.  Please don’t be offended because I’m sure your church is lovely and delightful and that your communion bread is special too, but mine is the best.   It’s made from a recipe that probably came over on a boat from the Old World centuries ago, and it’s a lot like a little shortbread cookie—which is exactly why I was so excited.

In an effort to help focus my mind and heart on God’s grace and sacrifice, I gave up sugary treats for Lent, but I knew that when the first Sunday in April rolled around, I would have a one-half inch square of sweetness to savor, and I could hardly wait for the tasty morsel to touch my tongue.

It did not disappoint. Usually the bit of bread has only a subtle sweetness, but yesterday the flavor was intense.  Had I not known better, I might have assumed the recipe had been altered, but I was the one who had changed.  By not dulling my senses with substitutes over the past several weeks, I was able to fully appreciate all the goodness of the real thing. 

As I scavenged the last crumb off my finger, the spiritual application was only too obvious.  How much of God’s sweet goodness do we miss by filling our lives with what’s fake? This world tempts us with plate after plate of enticing and inviting treats.  They look good.  They smell good.  And for a brief moment, they taste good—but before long their bitter aftertaste overpowers the temporary sweetness, and we are left longing for something more.

Thankfully, God’s table is set with endless dishes of delight which satisfy all our cravings and fulfill all our desires. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth”(Ps 119:103).  The Bible is an endless buffet offering holy fare for every course of our lives, and the more we dig in, the more we will crave all the goodness of the real thing. “O taste and see that the Lord is good”(Ps 34:8).

Don’t dull your senses by settling for substitutes.

Savor the flavor of God’s sweet grace.