taste and see

Psalm 34:8 tells us: "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

I thought about this verse earlier this evening as the boys were throwing down some of mom's delicious cheesy chicken soup.

                                                           

Shortly thereafter, Luke and Levi eagerly devoured some popsicles while hanging out on the front porch.

for levi...eating is very spiritual (i think he's meditating here)

Luke...well, his appetite is fickle to say the least. Tonight was actually a good dinner night for Mr. Luke. Though he did manage to squeeze down a few bites of the soup, he mostly got stuffed on chips and milk (much to his dismay - not chocolate milk). However, when mom mentioned the possibility of an orange flavored frozen delight...game over. Suddenly, Luke drew from a reservoir of hunger previously unknown. Amazing how quickly four bites of chicken disappeared after 15 minutes of haggling over 1/4 teaspoon-sized nibbles.

Levi...different story. Levi sampled two bowls of soup. Then he asked for more. We had to cut the kid off. I mean, don't get me wrong - I want beefy, strong boys, but this kid takes eating to a different level sometimes. Scary.

Back to Psalm 34. I read this passage earlier this week - picking through Psalms and the book of Deuteronomy right now. Our world is crazy busy right now (I'm sure yours is super chill, laid back, not busy at all). In the midst of getting my feet wet with a new ministry, new church, upcoming move, part time job, etc. etc. this verse was a good reminder, a good guage to check my heart in all of this. 

See, there's no doubt when the boys are hungry (see above pics). It's written all over their faces, literally. Levi can't hide his love for cheesy chicken soup or orange popsicles. So I'm asking myself tonight, am I hungry for God? If I have this God-sized hole in my soul that is only filled with communion with Jesus, am I hungry for Him? When's the last time I walked away from time spent in Scripture, in prayer, in a worship service, hanging with others saying, "Man, I've tasted and seen that Jesus is good." I've been there. Love it. But it's so easy to fall away. So easy to put it in on cruise control. I don't want that. I want communion with almighty God. As my good friend Paul Shockley says, "I want to want God!". So tonight I'm checking my heart. I'm not crazy about what I see at this particular moment, but I'm asking God to grow in me a stronger desire and an appetite for Him. He's good (so much more than we know). The boys love to taste good things. Why is that we become so complacent with tasting something so good?

Taste and see.

My boys did. What about you?