30 Days of Tasting

Day 22

Do you like leftovers? I’m okay with them, most of the time. They're good for our budget and we want to be faithful stewards of the food we buy and prepare. Some leftovers, however, taste a whole lot better than others—like chili or lasagna. Today, I had something that isn’t at the top of my favorite leftovers list—a warmed up burger.

Monday, we grilled what might have been our last char-grilled meal until next spring. (We are die hard charcoal grillers—no gas grill for the Boorams!) Burgers are the best hot off the coals, though I have learned that if you warm them up in the microwave on defrost, they aren’t too bad. Of all my tastes today, this leftover burger has left the strongest impression. Most of all, because I know how good it was when I ate the first one on Monday and today's just wasn’t the same.

Some days I live on spiritual leftovers. I don’t always have time or take time to connect in a meaningful way with God. Or some days when I do take time, I don’t always come away with something that fills my soul. I wonder how it would be if I lived most of the time on days-old spiritual food? Not so great. I think I would lose my taste for fresh encounters with God. I would become disinterested and go through the motions.

I don't want that to happen. That's one reason why I'm always seeking new ways of discovering God in the daily round of beauty. I've noticed that my appetite is stronger when I don't subsist on stale spiritual fare.