October 22, 2020
Savoring in the Time of Suffering
Lisa Morrone
Today’s Truth
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him, (Psalm 34:8 NIV).
Friend to Friend
I don’t know a single adult who will look back on the year 2020 and not shudder!
Living through this past spring and summer has felt like I’m running a marathon that I did not sign up for. It was filled with obstacle courses of people and places to avoid, lonely trails due to isolation, and uncomfortable running gear consisting of a facemask and the occasional surgical gloves! And the race isn’t over yet.
I know you’re feeling me; ‘cuz you’re living it, too.
Each week I intentionally spend time talking on the phone with loved who are also struggling during this season of doom and gloom. Given the present climate, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and hopelessness can slowly seep into any of our day-to-day existences until we become emotionally undone—or completely numb.
We will always have stressors while we are in this world. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble,” (John 16:33, NIV emphasis added). So, you and I need to discover ways to manage the stress so it doesn’t manage us.
Now, you’re probably thinking I’m going to suggest the well-worn Christian remedy: “Pray and read your Bible daily.” Well, I’m not. It’s not that I don’t believe those two things are a vital part of our everyday lives. It’s just that I believe there’s something more—something inherently Scriptural: savoring.
To savor means to taste, or to enjoy something completely. It’s more than what you do with your last bite of ice cream or your final day of summer vacation. To savor can also mean to “taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him,” (Psalm 34:8 NIV).
I love how the New Century Version translates Psalm 34:8: “Examine and see how good the Lord is,” (Psalm 34:8b, NCV). Examine. Don’t you love that word?
To combat the tension of 2020, I’ve made a purposeful practice to savor the many good things the Lord has placed around me. These days I pause to fully and completely to experience the elegance of a butterfly in flight, the coolness of my bedsheets when I first slip between them at night, the heady fragrance of a ripe peach, the uncurling of a new fern leaf, the unique call of a backyard bird, the balance of flavors in the dinner, the sound of a friend’s voice…and on and on.
When we practice savoring God’s good gifts, the weight of the negativity lessens. And that marathon we didn’t sign up to run? Well, we’ll start to notice those same good gifts along the unexpected path.
I’d love for you to click on comment and tell me what good gifts you savored today.
Let’s Pray
Lord, I am truly in need of some refocusing! Please allow me to become acutely aware of the small joys and big wonders You place in my path each and every day. Discipline me to pause and behold them—not to just quickly glance their way for a moment, but to pause and savor them.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn: Starting right now—turn up your “savor-sensors” and be on the lookout for the special stress-busting joys the Lord has sprinkled throughout your day. Then discipline yourself to pause and drink in deeply of the love Jesus has for you—the love that’s expressed through what looks, feels, tastes, sounds, and smells so divine!
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