TASTE AND SEE AND EXPERIENCE LIFE

I didn't eat the last two days. Day one looks like this: Skip breakfast and lunch. Really really want dinner. Get annoying to be around. Day 2. Really want breakfast and lunch. Dinner- don't much care anymore. It's like I'm numb to food by then and that's when God speaks... and this time, I realized that I didn't really take the time to enjoy what I ate. So, when I started eating again, I wanted it to be on purpose. Like I really wanted to eat and wanted to eat what I was eating.

I was drawn back to Psalm 34 that says, "Taste and See that the Lord is good." I realized both of these are senses are rare for me to fully experience. I don't TASTE and SEE much. I'm so used to just eating or just going from place to place or used to just doing that I sometimes let the task at hand rob me of the joy of experiencing God in everything.

TASTE: I'm a lousy wine taster. I only tried it once in some wineries on a wedding anniversary weekend. I didn't last long. I don't want to swoosh the cup to watch how the wine moves or smell the scent before I drink it or taste the flavor like it's a delicacy or clean my palate in between attempts with cheese. Some days I'm not even sure I have a palate. Wine tasters know something about tasting. I enjoy wine, I just don't experience it. I think that's true of all my foods. I decided today to change that. I don't have to eat. So I'm going to try and intentionally put food in my mouth when I eat and enjoy the food I do eat. Today I almost ate a package of fruit snacks- just cuz it was in a box in my car. I decided I didn't want to eat them. I'd rather eat something else. So I said no and to thank God for the gift of taste!

SEE: I miss a lot of stuff by not looking. Yesterday I was in Coronado. Orange drive in Coronado has 2 lanes each way separated by at least 2 lanes worth of grass, flowers, and beautiful trees. I looked up and realized I'd be driving for blocks and not totally taken it in. The street is lined with old Victorians. It was Flag Day. Every house had a flag on it. Since the Navy owns half the island, the center section had a flag placed on a brown wooden pole about 8 feet high every 25 feet or so. There was a light breeze and the flags flipped back and forth. In the middle of all that, I realized my windows were up and my AC was on. I'm an idiot! I rolled down all the windows, turned off the AC, and sniffed the ocean breeze. It was gorgeous. I wanted to get out. Park my car. Get a beach cruiser bike (which I really wish I owned one of), and ride around all day. But, I realized I don't see stuff. Sometimes my kids will call out from the back seat, "Look Dad, God painted the sky so pretty today" at a sunset and I'll be slapped with the reality that God paints so much around me and I miss it. I miss a lot by not stopping to truly enjoy the light that enters my eyes. Eye contact in conversations is so important and I'm so bad at it. I need to learn to love God more fully with my eyes. I need to enjoy what I see.

BE A KID AGAIN: Pretty much on every level of my senses. I have decided that I need to feel the textures in my world, to taste the foods, to explore with my eyes, to feel the breeze and to smile. To sweat. To cry. To run. To walk. To sit in the grass. To be cold. To get wet in the rain. To sip a cup of coffee and to enjoy every taste. To smell the flowers and the ocean breeze. All this writing makes me wish I had a window in this office that opens to the outside. I'd swing it open big right now.

I think Eugene Peterson captured this beautifully in his translation of PSALM 34. It makes me want to breath deeper:

Psa. 34:1 I bless GOD every chance I get;
my lungs expand with his praise.

Psa. 34:2 I live and breathe GOD;
if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy:

Psa. 34:3 Join me in spreading the news;
together let’s get the word out.

Psa. 34:4 GOD met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.

Psa. 34:5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.

Psa. 34:6 When I was desperate, I called out,
and GOD got me out of a tight spot.

Psa. 34:7 GOD’S angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.

Psa. 34:8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good GOD is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

Psa. 34:9 Worship GOD if you want the best;
worship opens doors to all his goodness.

Psa. 34:10 Young lions on the prowl get hungry,
but GOD seekers are full of God.

Psa. 34:11 Come, children, listen closely;
I’ll give you a lesson in GOD worship.

Psa. 34:12 Who out there has a lust for life?
Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?

I want a lust for life and to be eager to come upon the beauty of the Lord at every turn. Here I go. Wish me luck and roll down your window and join me.