Monday, June 6, 2022

The First Taste

 By: Joanne Viola


 “If more of us valued food, a steaming cup of tea and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

The quote brought back memories of sitting in the restaurant with a particular friend. We would peruse the menu, discussing options, as we each ordered our food. Once the food arrived, while we each looked appreciatively at our own plates, her eyes just couldn’t help themselves. They roamed the table until she finally settled on one and said,

“That looks so interesting.”
“What did you order?”
“I would never have ordered that unless I knew what how it tasted first.”

And we all knew what was coming next ….

“May I take a taste?”

It was a scene which had been played out numerous times before, maybe even every time we were together. None of us minded but rather, it brought laughter as we all knew, she just could not resist.

As I reminisced about my friend, I remembered a few others who also just needed “a taste”:

  • Eve ate the apple. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate.” (Genesis 3:6, NASB)
  • Esau asked for a bowl of stew. “And Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there … Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. (Genesis 25: 30, 34, NASB)
  • David saw Bathsheba.Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.David sent messengers and took her…” (2 Samuel 11: 2, 4, NASB)
  • Judas eyed the silver. Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.”(Matthew 26: 14-16, NLT)

And lest we think, we don’t go for the taste …

  • We take a bite of gossip. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.” (Proverbs 18:8, NASB)

Therein, lies the problem – the first taste.

May we be mindful of the first taste. What is it we are reaching for? Craving? Consuming? Taking into our inmost parts? May this be the only taste we desire:

O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
(Psalm 34:8, NASB)

The first taste.
It makes all the difference.
Taste and See!

 

Photo by micheile dot com on Unsplash



 



6 comments:

  1. we do need to be SO careful what we allow ourselves to taste and to develop a craving for! Why would we even take a sample of something we know won't be good for us?

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  2. Craving is what struck me as well. We will crave what we take in and our appetite will increase. Best to make the right choice to begin with.

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  3. Well done, Joanne! We just want that first bite thinking it is something better than what it is, better than what we have - because we are looking to be satisfied and only God can do that!

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  4. Well done, Joanne! We just want that first bite thinking it is something better than what it is, better than what we have - because we are looking to be satisfied and only God can do that!

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  5. I can identify with your friend. I hate to spend money ordering something I am not sure whether I'd like or not. But if I can get a taste when someone else orders, I'll know for next time. :-)

    But as you say, that can be a problem with some things. It's great to expand our restaurant choices, but a taste of some things can get us in trouble when we want more of the wrong thing.

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  6. It is a slippery slope when we are drawn to take a "taste" off our own paths! Wise words here!

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