March 10, 2025
Being sick last week reminded me of how I spent two years of my life not being able to smell or taste anything prior to my first sinus surgery. I took for granted all the little nuances that made up the wholeness of a meal or a drink. I also loved wine tasting (really actually the “tasting” part) and drinking it without being able to distinctively separate flavors and fragrances just made it not as enjoyable as it always was for me. Meals began to run together, and they all tasted the same, so I would overindulge in spices and carbs to try and give my mouth a fullness that the taste buds could no longer supply; I was searching for any help in order to create variety to blend the bitter and the sweet.
Life is the same way really. Just like as in all recipes there is a compliment and blend of spices; they play off each other and provide enjoyment in the experience. Everything that we “taste and see” in life is a combination of events that bring about richness within us allowing us to learn, grow and share. Too much sweet and we cannot appreciate it; too much bitter and our minds reject it. As struggles come upon us, we just can’t give up or stop enjoying the fullness of life, we must forge on and “taste and see” what we can benefit from in even the harshest of moments. In this, we are forced to concentrate on the “SEE” portion of this phrase… it opens us to understand that sometimes we need to look beyond one single aspect of the “tasting” part realizing it is just another ingredient to make us who we are. Our ultimate rewards are not from what we achieve, they are BECAUSE of the journey.
This 40 days of Lent is no different. As we set off in our expedition of fasting, alms giving and reflection, we travel towards a bitter-sweet end. The journey up that hill all ends on Good Friday with the emotion and sadness of Jesus being crucified and the hopes of our Messiah being dashed. If we quit the journey and stop there then we never would get to experience the joy of celebrating the rising of the Lord on Easter Sunday. He wants you to find the good in the journey… to find light through the dark and find ways to trust in the longest parts of the journey.
Take time this season to sacrifice during lent, not only as a means to sacrifice but as a form of preparation. Run to Jesus and journey ALONG WITH Him, take up your cross and carry it without showing your battle scars. We “give up” things to surrender our habits to God and because it helps us identify with those around the world that have less than we do and the manner in which they go without the luxuries we have. So, go the extra distance to make a difference in someone else’s life near you by going out of your way to show the power of love.
“Taste and See” all the recipe of life for the reason that Lent is a time for listening and accepting… reaping and sewing… scattering and hoping… living and dying
“The Lord has eyes for justice, ears to hear your cry. God knows your broken heart. The Lord redeems a loyal servant. Take refuge in your God. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord, the goodness of the Lord…”
~’Taste and See’ (based on Psalm 34) by Steve Angrisano
Posted by Greg Wasinski