Brenda’s Blog – May 21, 2019
“My Grandmother taught us how to enjoy chocolate.”
This comment piqued my interest. I didn’t know anyone had to be taught to appreciate chocolate, did you? It is part of my DNA.
But she went on to say her grandmother taught the children to truly appreciate the joy of chocolate. “She sat us own at the table with chocolate lined up in front of each of us. Then she placed a glass of cold milk next to us.” “Take one bite of the chocolate,” she said. “Slowly let it melt in your mouth. Then take a swallow of milk and thoroughly enjoy the wonder of the chocolate.” My friend distinctly remembers those times, even decades later.
As she told me about this childhood experience I thought about learning to love scripture. At first we look at the reading assignments and gobble the verses down, just to get through to the end. Reading through the Bible each year is a worthy goal, but it doesn’t allow savoring. Gulping has its place, but so does a delightful exploration.
There are times when we put a verse into our mouth, rolling it around, sounding the words, and falling in love with the Spirit’s work. Bible memorization is a natural response to deep meditation. Making a verse our own gives the “sword of the Spirit” much greater accuracy and applicability.
I have favorite chocolates, just as I have favorite Bible verses. Rather than swallowing each of them quickly, I think I will let each dissolve slowly allowing the flavors to bloom. The Psalmist says, “O, taste and see that the Lord is good.” When we ingest His word intentionally and delicately we sense the deliciousness of who He is.