“Taste and See”
“Let the “ redeemed “give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love, goodness, and wondrous deeds to them. For He satisfies and fills the thirsty and hungry with goodness.” (Psalm 107:8-9)
Over the last several days, I have been busy flipping through cookbooks looking for recipes to include in my Thanksgiving menu. Memories of Momma keeps flooding into my mind and heart. I am so thankful for Momma and the things she did for our family. It always amazed me how she began to prepare for Thanksgiving for our family weeks ahead of time. If you think of the number of people that would be coming to our house, you will understand. Just our immediate family was 50 plus Momma, Daddy, brothers, sisters, all the in-laws, and grandchildren, then, add any aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends that came. Most of these would bring something to add to the table.
When the school bus would drop us off out at the main road in the afternoons, our whole neighborhood would smell wonderful. You knew Mama had been baking most of the day. You might come in and find her working on a coconut one day. She would use an ice pick to poke a hole in it to drain out the coconut milk that was inside. She loved to drank the milk. Daddy’s hammer was used to crack it’s hard shell, then, remove the coconut meat from the shell. The next step was to grate it.
Of course, she would have the layers for the cake baked and waiting. It was not unusual to see the dining table covered with layers and layers. She would cook up a clear glaze for the coconut, pineapple, apple butter, and pecan cakes, which would be put on the layers right out of the oven to soak into them and make them extra moist, sometimes even poking holes into layers, so it could penetrate all through them. Then she would coat the layers with either grated coconut, crushed pineapple, apple butter, or grated pecans. Now these cakes were made from scratch, no cake mix for her.
Mama always made two fruitcakes, one, the traditional kind that you baked, and one called icebox fruit cake, which you mixed, but, did not bake. As each was prepared, they were then put in the freezer. The longer the time between them being prepared and our eating them, the better tasting they became. The flavors seemed to marinate into something even more delicious than you could imagine. The tasting was the test of what a great job she had done. Thinking about tasting Mama’s cakes reminds me of something.
Did you know that you can “taste the Lord?”
In (Ps. 34:8) we are encouraged to “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man / woman that trust in Him.” He is so good, yes, deliciously good. Just as that fruitcake gets better and better as it waits for us to gobble it up at Thanksgiving. The Lord gets sweeter and sweeter to my heart as I walk with Him each day. I marvel at His tenderness and grace, His mercy, His nearness, His strength in the tough times. He truly is a “Friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Just as Mama’s cakes never disappoints with their wondrous flavors; “the Lord never disappoints either.” I am reminded of this song.
Since I started for the Kingdom,
Since my life He controls,
Since I gave my heart to Jesus,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Chorus
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows;
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Every need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows,
Everyday my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.
Have you ever given your heart to Jesus? Have you tasted the sweetness of His saving grace? Have you felt the cleansing power of Jesus wash your sins all away?
Then, let me invite you to “come to Jesus .” Taste and see that He is good!” He is as close as just saying “His Name.” Open up your heart to Jesus, and He will come in to stay. I promise you, your life will never be the same from this very day. Thank you, Lord that “Your goodness to us leads us to repentance.” (Rom. 2:4b)
Love Forever,
Tricia Cook
