“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)
It’s not often that the produce counter in Ralph’s supermarket holds spiritual significance, but last week, it did. My friend Judy and I were moving toward the check stand, and just as I was passing the turnips, an odd-shaped vegetable caught my eye. It was, the sign said, an opo squash. Until that moment, I had never realized anything like an opo squash even existed on the planet. I looked up and saw an “Exotic Produce” sign. “God did that,” I said as Judy examined an Asian pear. It was like no pear I had ever seen — huge, misshapen, and covered with brown speckles. “Let’s try it,” she said, tossing it into the basket on my lap. After we checked out and were in the parking lot, Judy pulled the exotic pear out of the bag. “Want to be the first?” She held it up to my mouth. It looked ugly and odd, but I bravely bit into it. My eyes widened in surprise. It tasted sweeter than any fruit I’d ever eaten, and it smelled like fragrant perfume.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good!” I said, while chewing. “Jesus, how in the world did you think this thing up? I am doing something brand new here… Lord, I am experiencing something of yours I have never experienced before!” God is always introducing us to new sights, smells, sounds, and tastes, so that we might constantly enjoy original and unique reasons to praise Him.
As it says in the third stanza of the old hymn, “He speaks to me everywhere.” Look around you, friend. His handiwork is everywhere. Today, taste and see that the Lord is good. And when you do, you’ll find you have utterly original and fresh words to tell Him so.
Open my eyes, Father, to more and more reasons to praise You, to find joy and pleasure in the endless array of Your divine designs.
