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Graze a bit

It was Oscar Wilde who reminded us, "I have the simplest tastes...I am always satisfied with the best." How about you? Are your 'tastes' simple? Are you always striving to be satisfied by pursuing the best? What is the 'best' anyway? Most will say it is the thing with the highest quality or standing - something that makes it stand out as the most desirable or advantageous for us to have or pursue. With that in mind, what is the thing you are pursuing so intensely right now? Does it measure up to be the 'highest quality' or most 'advantageous' for your life? If not, it might be time to alter your 'tastes' a bit.

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord. Trust in the Lord always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:3-4) 

Do you know what a 'taste' really is? It is the ability or willingness to relish, take a liking to, or show partiality toward something or someone. Each of us has particular 'tastes' we lean toward in the realms of music, decor, dress, and even living arrangements. Some prefer a small space with little clutter, while others require a larger space with ample things to fill it. While these 'tastes' set us apart from each other, there is one 'taste' we all need to cultivate as it may not come naturally to us. This is the 'taste' for right-living (righteousness).

The screensaver that came up today as I fired up my laptop was that of a lush green pasture, a heart of pearly white sheep grazing lazily amongst the tall grass. The sky is blue and fluffy white clouds dot the skyline against the rolling hills. This reminded me of how precious our peace is and just how easily it can be disturbed when we don't take time to develop our 'taste' for right-living as we should. These sheep haven't a worry in the world - they are at peace grazing and enjoying the fair weather. Could those clouds bring less enjoyable weather? Yes, they could, but they aren't worried about what is to come because they are completely enjoying what they have right now.

We oftentimes develop a 'taste' for something we 'don't have' or 'don't think we can have'. God wants us to remember to 'taste' and 'see' his goodness right here and now. Experience his perfect peace right where we are - not worrying about what may be just over the horizon. When we begin to 'taste' the peace of God, it changes all we 'taste' around us. We begin to experience grace right there - allowing the moment we are in to begin to teach us, bring forth faith from within us, and develop stability in our inner man. Right-living is most frequently 'learned' once we have had a 'taste' of the goodness therein. Just sayin!
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