While I tolerated milk and juices while growing up, it was Fanta grape soda that stole my heart. It had such a rich grape flavor that blended well with loads of sugar and carbonation. Any unfinished soda was great for cleaning my parent's battery terminals as well.
I drank so many of these drinks that I eventually thought they tasted more like grapes than grape juice. Of course, banana moon pies also tasted like perfect bananas to me. My idea of perfect flavor had been distorted by all of the junk food I had consumed. Heck, my version of a fruit basket consisted of candied orange slices, lemon drops, banana popsicles and whatever fruit flavor was in a pack of Now and Laters. A mouthful of cavities later, I gradually learned to appreciate the flavor and healthy benefits of real fruit. That probably explains why I lived to see adulthood.
Another rite of passage to leaving childhood was my growing love of all things related to coffee. By the tenth grade, I discovered that a hot cup of joe would do wonders at clearing the fog of the previous night's sleep. At first, it was a bit of a love/hate relationship. Unbeknownst to me, my body would not tolerate coffee on an empty stomach, which is how I first drank it. Thus, my initial pleasure was followed by gut-wrenching pain if I hadn't eaten.
After learning how to manage my love affair with caffeine, I was off and running, perfectly content with almost any brand of this nectar of the gods. But, then came that glorious day at work on my first job. My boss perked up a pot of coffee that made the angels rejoice. The aroma filled the building with a sensuous delight that I have never forgotten.
This marvelous concoction did not come off of a grocery store shelf, but had come to us courtesy of a health food store in Tallahassee. Finally, I found something in a health food store that I could swallow without regret. Columbian Supremo was quickly becoming my new best friend.
I just thought I liked coffee before my introduction to gourmet brews. Now, my educated palate will not settle for less than the best. Never mind that the good stuff cost three times that of ordinary coffee; I quickly watered my plants and goldfish with my stock of off-the-shelf dribble. Soon, my cupboard was full of Columbian Supremo and my wallet was empty, but it was worth it as I savored every cup.
That fateful day was over thirty years ago, and I continue to fine tune my obsession with the ultimate cup of coffee. The normal stuff has no place in my heart or on my shelves, because I can do better and my palate demands it.
Looking back, I see similarities between my coffee and my faith. Early on in my walk with the Lord, I settled for just going to church because that was all I had ever tasted. As I got closer to the Lord, I began to see that He also has a "gourmet " side. He is full of life and flavor and He does all things excellently.
Church can be great, but it is a small tip of an iceberg. He isn't limited by an hour-long, pre-planned experience. The Lord is in the air you breathe, the hurting you encounter and the laughter of the children next door. He truly loves those who hate Him and embraces those you might not want to sit next to under those stained glassed depictions of the Gospel story.
The Lord is fiercely tender, while never lowering His standards to bend to a culture that is clueless to His holiness or the depths of His forgiveness. Culture is satisfied with off-the-shelf religion because it is cheap and easygoing. My gourmet Jesus is not cheap and the surrender He requires is not always easy.
Yet the aroma that comes off of Him is worth my last dime. I fail Him often, but I refuse to find my delight in candied imitations of His goodness that aren't true to His character. I hope you will join me in this quest to see Him as He really is. I'm learning to discern the better flavors that are offered when I taste and see that the Lord is good... to the last drop.