Taste and see that the Lord is good. For 21 days in January, my church joined together in a Daniel's Fast. In the bulletin on the second week, they included a print out of Psalm 34. Verse 8 is especially on my heart tonight. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh the joys of those who take refuge in Him!
Ps 34:8 NLT
Those of you who know me are aware of the how much I've struggled with weight. I have a great love for food and believe me, it shows! I'm Southern and food is the answer to just about every situation. Births, deaths and sickness cause all your friends to bring hoards of food to your home. With every celebration comes a table full of food. It's a situation ripe for addiction. Smokers who beat their addiction can learn to live without cigarettes and the same goes for alcoholics. People who beat their food addiction still have to eat. It can be a vicious cycle.
What right do I have to worry about the shortcomings of others, when I keep running to the fridge or the pantry? I use whatever I can find to eat to provide comfort, companionship or even a salve to boredom. Is this any better or worse than other broken commandments? No, there is no commandment that states, "Thou shalt not over eat!" There is one, however, that tells me that I should not have any other gods above Him. If I run to the kitchen instead of God, am I not putting my appetites over Him?
I printed out the above Scripture and the first part of verse 8 seems to shout in my mind. How can I 'taste and see' when I'm too busy filling my mouth with chocolate, chips, any form of bread, sweet tea and/or Pibb Extra? That's just the short list. Have you understood the fact that I love food? What am I tasting? He told the woman at the well that He could give her water so that she would never thirst again. Do we think that this could be apply to food? I'm not tasting anything that is eternal. Darn, I'm hungry in just a few short hours, if not sooner. This realization can be pretty demeaning. I haven't had multiple husbands and am not living in sin. I don't recognize myself in that woman. Or, rather, I didn't. She was thirsty, if not dying of thirst. I'm hungry, and could be starving. The only thing is, we are craving the same thing. And, we are filling up with mere substitutions. She ran to men. I run to the kitchen. He encouraged her, and me, to taste. Taste Him. His love. His touch. His acceptance. There is no satisfaction without Him.
Is He about a certain weight? I don't think so. He is all about who or what we put in between Him and ourselves. When you're hurting, lonely, and in need, where do you run? If it's not to Him, maybe it's something you should study. I'm starting to. Will I loose weight? I don't know, I've been trying since puberty! Hopefully, I'll learn where to run. Join me?
