Taste

Taste

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

“MOM, WHAT DO YOU THINK heaven looks like, is like?” We were driving home, and Jonny’s question was one I’ve often wondered myself. I am not an expert on heaven, and while Scripture contains a few descriptive glimpses, I didn’t have a definitive answer for my inquisitive son.

“Well . . .” I paused a long moment, trying to gather my words. “I once heard a sermon describing the earth as little tastes of heaven and little tastes of hell, all rolled together over our lifetime.” Glancing in the rearview mirror, I asked, “What do you think? Might we be experiencing little pieces of what heaven is like here on earth?”

“If that’s true, then dessert last night was a little taste of heaven!”

Laughing, I agreed. And with that conversation, a new tradition began. When we see something breathtakingly beautiful, when a food explodes in delightful flavors across our tongues, when we snuggle into an extra warm blanket on a cool evening, when we hear something that makes our souls sing, we categorize it as a little taste of heaven. Our declarations are an expression of gratitude, a simple acknowledgment that all good things are gifts from God, regardless of whether they are actually in heaven or not.

It’s remarkable how such a simple statement has changed my perspective. I am less prone to take small luxuries for granted when I identify them as heavenly, and it helps make me intentional about noticing the good things—even the smallest of them—as I go about my day. It’s hard to stay grumpy when savoring a sip of a decadent coffee or lingering on the sight of giant snowflakes floating gently to earth. Pausing to identify tastes of heaven jolts us out of racing mindlessly through our days, forcing us to stop momentarily to remember the King we serve, the universe’s Creator who named the stars and yet also numbers the hairs on our heads.

Lord, thank you for tastes of heaven on earth. May we pause to savor them, reminding ourselves and those around us that you are the giver of every good gift. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Practice pausing momentarily over small joys in your day, identifying them and thanking God for them.