photo credit to my sweet friend, Amanda Williams 5.15.18
"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good."
I seem to have a theme going right now... While my thoughts earlier were about being seen by the Lord, my current thoughts have shifted to what we see of the Lord. When I get repeating messages there is usually a good word to be heard so I try and perk my ears up a little more. I've been getting nuggets over the last few weeks and am still processing the message myself, but I'm going to try and articulate what I've gotten thus far.
After much pondering whether the tasting or the seeing comes first, I've come to this conclusion: While in the physical world you will most often see something before you actually taste it, I believe it is different in the spiritual world. Does it make sense? Not really. But, over the years I have used that to help me gauge if I am viewing things from the worldly perspective or the spiritual perspective. Most of the time, if it makes sense it is of the world's view. And if it doesn't... well, here's your sign. *smile*
Buckle up. I'll let you inside my thought life for just a split second. Here we go.
Take for example the picture above. I can almost taste the creamy, coco, deliciousness in my mouth by just the visual alone. Seeing that enticing piece of cake is what makes me want to take a bite and taste it for myself. Here on earth we see something that looks good. Whether it be a job promotion, a second serving of that mouthwatering goodness, taking a trip to a longtime desired destination- you get the picture. In all of those situations we usually see something that looks good first and then we experience the flavor of that decision. Much to our dismay, sometimes it will not always be the sweetness we expected and it will leave a bitter taste lingering in our mouth for a period of time. And on the flip side, sometimes it will be a sweetness sweeter than we could have imagined.
Now lets take a look at the spiritual realm for a minute. This is where things get flipped and don't seem to really make sense when you think about it. This is where the tasting comes before the seeing. As it is stated in Psalm 34:8, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good." I believe the Father has so much goodness to offer us while we are here on earth that we cannot even begin to fathom it all. I don't believe we have to wait until we get to heaven to experience a little taste of heaven while we are right here on earth. Remember... the Lord's prayer even directs us to pray- thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
When we are called into a certain action, we may not- infact, more often than not, we don't fully see the circumstances we are about to take on. However, we can go ahead and take that step of faith to move forward even with a decision where we cannot see everything upfront. It's not like when you sign a contract for your employer. We do not always know the compensation we will be receiving when we take a step of faith. But we do know our Father will be alongside us every single step of the way. Often, I will look back to a previous trial and remember the taste of goodness from the Lord during that time to remind myself that he is good. All. The. Time.
But what about when tragedy hits? How in the world can we taste and see his goodness in all of that sorrow and pain? What about when your baby gets that diagnosis, or when that steady income gets ripped out from underneath you, or when your marriage is crumbling, or when you loose everything you own in that natural disaster, or when your family- the ones who are supposed to always be by your side, turn their back on you? What then? Oh, friend- it is in some of my darkest days that I have seen the Lord's goodness the clearest. I am not by any means downplaying your trials or burdens. I have been right there with you. Wondering how in the world something good can come of the mess I am in. All I'm asking is that you turn your head up to the heavenlies with me even if just for a moment.
While some of you know the dark trials I have faced and am still facing from the last 12-15 months, I'm going to give you a little more light hearted example- relatively speaking.
Many of you know we just lost my grandmother several weeks ago. While she lived a good long, fruitful life of nearly 89 years, it is never easy to loose someone that has been around your whole life. Especially when they played a large part in your raising. But she would not want us to spend the rest of our years mourning her death. She made clear to us, her family, that she wanted us to spend our years celebrating her life here on earth and more importantly the eternal life she now gets to experience with her Maker. During a time that often creates much division among families, has brought our family closer together. Don't misunderstand me here. My family has it's flaws and we have plenty of messes to deal with. Before my grandmother's passing we had our fair share of family division and hurtful words tossed around like shards of glass. But God. But God is in the business of redeeming relationships and our entire family was all together, in one place, under the same roof for the first time in I can't even tell you how long. We were together reflecting on the good memories of the one whose legacy we will carry on. The night after her service when I was headed back home, I saw a lightening storm like I had never seen a lightening storm before. I knew deep within my soul that holy things were being done in the heavenlies. On my behalf; on my family's behalf. While I know my God can carry his power through his single breath alone, I'd be lying if I did't say heaven is just a little sweeter for me knowing I have one more angel looking down and watching over me.
I believe for us to see things the way our Father wants us to see them, we must go out into deep waters with him. Ya'll, our Father calls us out into deep waters with him. Where the water is more clear and calm. No matter our circumstances. Yes- they may look rough and dark and scary and unknown. But how else are we going to know and see his blessings and outrageous love if we don't dive in? Will you take a leap of faith with me and dive into the deeper waters with me? Our Father literally died so that we could experience and SEE his blessings on our life.
