“Taste and see that the Lord is good . . . .” Psalm 34:8
I used to be the mom that sat on the sidelines . . . . or in the beach chair.
A few years ago, I was comfortable with things in my life I was familiar with. I had gotten a bit relaxed and downright boring. I was overweight and uncomfortable stepping out of my regular routine of being a mom. I was a set in my ways.
You see, at heart, I am an adventurer. At least, that is how I view myself. I have always been the one who is game to eat anything. I will taste almost any food. I have eaten wiggidy grubbs (worms in the Outback of Australia that tastes like peanut butter), crocodile in the Everglades, rattlesnake in Arizona, fish brains in Egypt and sturgeon with cod liver oil in Moscow. So I am not afraid of many things.
I am also game to travel anywhere! God has taken me to the most exciting places!!! I have served him door knocking in Manly Beach, Australia and in the jungles of Costa Rico at an orphanage camp. I have found myself teaching English in Cairo and digging up 1st century artifacts in Caesarea Philippi on an archeological dig. I have seen danger being bombed by the Lebanese and lost on a bus alone in El Salvador with no passport.
Living on the edge was my middle name in my twenties. I loved it! So what happened to me when my kids came along? I no longer liked roller coasters, crazy food choices or anything that looked dangerous. I was happy with constant, routine and structure.
I am not saying that any of those things are wrong. Quite the contrary, my family thrives on constant, routine and structure. But, for me, that just couldn’t be the end of my story. There was so much I was missing . . .
I believe that God has this special “switch” that turns on after you have babies. The one that keeps us alive for the offspring we have “created”. I feel it at the top of a black diamond ski run and on helicopter trips over volcanoes in Hawaii. It is something innate that God gives us to stop us from danger. But, for me, this internal switch, along with laziness, was keeping me from so much more.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I had a moment – a weekend – where they told me on Friday night that I had all the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer, which had a 10% survival rate. They could not tell me until Monday what the test results were - so it was a very long weekend. I had a lot of time to ponder life and death that weekend. Not that I would ever wish that weekend on anyone, but honestly it was EXACTLY what God wanted for me because I had been missing the BEST things in life.
So now, I embrace the verse: “Taste and see that the Lord is good”. It has come to mean so much to me. I am more willing to explore and be the adventurer again. I get in the water at the beach, instead of sitting in the beach chair. I am windsurfing, skiing, hiking, bike riding and playing! My kids love that I am doing these things WITH them! I am enjoying God’s creation because there are so many incredible things out there that He created for our enjoyment. My friend, Sally Clarkson, says it best, “God is the artist who throws the stars into place, he created peppers for fajitas, music to dance to, chocolate for brownies, fingers to massage, hands to hold and life to enjoy”.
Where are you sitting back and letting life happen around you?
Where must you “Taste and See” God today?
I am right there with you! Let’s get out there and experience God’s goodness!
