Why do we love ice cream so much? Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was reportedly the first American to write down an ice cream recipe? As Americans, we love ice cream, and I am the first to admit that I am a full-blooded American because I love ice cream.
Did you know the average American eats six gallons of ice cream annually? Last year, we spent 5.5 billion on ice cream as a nation. Even more shocking, we consume less ice cream than New Zealanders.
As a kid, I had a very simplistic taste in ice cream. I always ate chocolate and hated vanilla unless it had chocolate chips and was covered in hot fudge. Then, in my early twenties, I ventured out to flavors like Gold Medal Ribbon and Salted Carmel. Now, as an adult in the fourth quarter of life, I have a new flavor combination I love. The flavors I love come from a new chain called Salt & Straw.
The best part of this new ice cream parlor is their patience when you want to sample a flavor. You can try every flavor, and they will do it joyfully. They have four seasonal flavors every month, so I try new flavors every time I go in. 99 out of 100 times, I get my two favorite flavors.
My go-to flavors are Chewy Chocolate Brownie and Strawberry Balsamic with Black Pepper. But what is more intriguing than the flavors is how much better they taste together than alone. Alone, the flavors are just average, but together, the dimensions of the flavors explode.
You may wonder why ice cream is on my mind this morning. I was reading Psalm 119 when a verse leaped off the page. Verse 103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” and all I could think about was how much I craved ice cream and how much I craved the Word.
The Word of God is sweet to my soul. It can convict me, heal my hurts, give me answers to difficult life questions, and restore my relationships. Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” The Psalmist tells us to taste and see because we all love food.
Open the Word and see that it is sweet and good. Maybe today, you are finding the bitterness of life. That bitterness has found its way into your marriage, the workplace, or your relationship with your family. Well, maybe it is time to taste and see that the Word of God has absolute power.
This week, we have two opportunities to taste and see. Thursday the 25th at 6 PM is The Well, a night of worship and pursuit of the Lord. Then, on Sunday morning at 9:30, we do church. Why not come and see?
In Him,
Pastor Chris