Psalm 34:8 — Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!
I grew up in the nineties, and I don’t know if I imagined it, but…we were all told vegetables were gross.
I mean, on cartoons they avoided broccoli at all costs, so I treated it like the plague. In the school cafeteria line, I would pile my tray with anything but the vegetables.
It was probably just marketing, but it’s funny because years later, I became a high school teacher. And I finally tried veggies in the school cafeteria.
And they were… good.
Like, genuinely, they were the best seasoned thing on the menu. I stood standing there thinking, “Wait—have I been wrong about this my whole life?”
It wasn’t just the cafeteria. Every summer, my mom would make tomato pie. And depending on who you are, that either sounds incredible or completely disgusting.
To me it looked gross, so it was gross. No further investigation needed. Because…vegetables…am I right?
But no. I tried it for the first time in college and it changed my life! My momma is a good cook, but it’s one of the best things she makes.
It’s funny—and a little sad—how easily we opt out of some of the best things in life without ever really trying them. We write them off before we experience them.
Honestly, spiritual disciplines can feel like that too. Prayer. Scripture. Solitude. Worship. Sometimes they sound more like eating your vegetables than experiencing joy.
But every time I lean into those things—even a little—I find something I didn’t expect. Peace that steadies me. Clarity that wasn’t there before. A sense that I’m not alone.
Maybe that’s why we’re invited not just to believe God is good, but to experience it. “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” He says. And somewhere along the way, we discover, what first felt like discipline starts to turn into desire.
And desire… turns into delights.
So, I want to encourage you to seek God’s face today through spiritual disciplines. Because it really is so good!
Disciplines develop your spiritual appetite. Yes. You’ll end up hungry for more.
Please don’t miss out on the most incredible parts of life simply because they are branded to you as “boring” or hard.
No. Taste and see that they lead to the sweetest and most un-boring thing of all.
God’s presence.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- What spiritual discipline have you avoided because it seemed boring, difficult, or unappealing?
- When have you personally “tasted and seen” God’s goodness in an unexpected way?
- What keeps you from slowing down enough to experience God’s presence consistently?
- How have small, faithful habits helped strengthen your relationship with God?
- What is one practical way you can seek God’s presence more intentionally this week?