Mar
7
2012
Chewing Gum
Posted in Family Life 4 Comments
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
(Psalm 34:8)
I was in my own little world as I walked through the store. It was one of those wool gathering days and browsing seemed to fit perfectly into that rhythm.
I passed a young woman I thought I had recognized. We looked at each other and realized that we had met in a Bible study years ago. She was pushing a stroller with her young child inside. We engaged in small talk and tried to catch up. I had never met her little girl…who was trying desperately to get out and explore the racks of clothes…the perfect hiding spot.
Since the mom wanted to talk a bit more, she tried to hand her daughter everything she could think of to entertain her so we could have a few more moments. Finally, she reached into her purse and pulled out a stick of gum. The girl flapped her arms wildly, so excited for this prize…inevitably her mother’s last attempt at diversion.
She unwrapped the foil and handed the little girl the stick of gum. She began her conversation again…the one that had been interrupted many times before.
The gum seemed to have been the answer.
Suddenly a sticky hand reached up from the stroller with the stringy gum wrapped around most of the fingers.
No taste…she said shaking her head and pushing the sticky mess towards her mother.
There was an uncomfortable pause as the mother fumbled in her large purse for a hand wipe to remove most of the gum before some of the nearby clothes were inadvertently touched.
I got down at eye level with the little girl and talked to her while her mother wiped those ever moving hands.
We hugged our goodbyes and I waved under the stroller hood and was lovingly grabbed by the still sticky hand which now smelled like hand sanitizer.
I walked away and thought of what the little girl said.
No taste…
We are no different from that little one. We may not have chewing gum wrapped around our fingers, but we tire easily of the world’s prizes. They may seem delicious…they may tease us with their shiny wrappings…but they lose their taste…quickly.
We try many things to divert us.
We reach into our large life purse for the thing that will satisfy us…at the moment.
But they fall short. They lose their flavor. They do not last.
As believers in Jesus, we can taste and see that the Lord is good. The Author of our faith sanctifies us through His Spirit, so that we grow to like what He likes and hunger for the Food that never loses its taste. The more time we spend with Him, the more our appetites long for Him.
He is our meal.
He is the One that truly satisfies.
He is the feast for our soul.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
(Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, by Helen Howarth Lemmel)
Don’t you just love how the words of a little one can be so thought provoking? Stirring us to ponder? Love it.
Yes, Jen, they say more than they know.
I am grateful to the Spirit for connecting their words with His truth.
I am soooooo proud of you!!! And inspired as well. Your writing is beautiful and I will be praying this blog continues to be the answer your prayers. I’ll also be following it. All my love and best wishes,
Gear
Gear,thank you for the encouragement.
Many memories all these years…special friend !!!