Taste and See

"Taste and see that the LORD is good.  Oh the joys of those who trust in him."  Psalm 34:8

If I'm being perfectly honest, I have had the taste of bitterness in my mouth as of late.  I have doubted the goodness of God.  I have held him at arm's length in response to the fact that I have been feeling rather wounded.  Like a frightened animal, I have not wanted to let anyone--even my loving Creator--near my injuries.  The problem, of course, is that a wound left untreated will begin to fester, or become infected, and it will be difficult to heal.

And so in my resistance to allow God to come near and offer the comfort he promises, my bitterness has grown, and the bad taste in my mouth has been drowning out the incredible goodness around me.  

A few months ago our family began a new tradition.  Every week, we have "Tasty Tuesday," a family night where we share a thoughtfully prepared meal together.  For our family, it is the one night a week that we are certain to have all five of us gathered around the kitchen table.  I wish we could do this every day, but our current situation does not allow that.  So instead, we are making an intentional effort to make this one night a week extra special.  We plan a menu, we plan a meal together, we plan what verse to learn that week.  We take time to taste new foods, to taste of our love for one another, and to taste the goodness of God.

This has been such a simple, ordinary blessing to me.  During weeks where I have battled darkness and doubt and depression, the simple joy of my family around the table has been a healing salve.  Hearing my eight-year-old explain the meaning of a Bible verse has made the truth piercing and real and undeniable to my heart.  Our meals have not been extraordinary--milk has been spilled, vegetables have gone uneaten, and we have had our share of less-than-perfect interactions with one another.  But we're trying, we're living life together, we're feeling the goodness of God in our hearts over the weeks and months that pass by.

So I plan to share our Tasty Tuesdays with you. I want to keep a record of these sweet times together as a family, and to take note of what I'm learning that week.  I'll also be tracking what worked and what didn't when it comes to trying out new recipes.  So far, the food has been OK, but Kai's still waiting for the perfect meal to "knock his socks off!"  I'll definitely let you know when I finally get that review!

(I'm trying to figure out how to upload photos from my iPad and Evernote Food...)

I pray that you taste and see his goodness this week, friends.  May the richness of his love, the fullness of his mercies and the sweetness of his voice wash away the bitter herbs that life sometimes sends to you.