christineyountjones.com

“O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!”
Psalm 34:8

To savor is to taste and enjoy completely. Isn’t that what God calls us to in Psalm 34:8? To savor His goodness? To taste and enjoy completely His provision.

Someone could argue that this is not what this verse is about, but the next verses say this:

“O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.”
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.”
Psalm 34:9-10

(By the way, this is a great psalm to read and ask God to reveal truth about your food/diet issues. There’s so much in here that God wants to show us about taking our emotions to Him instead of food!)

Back to savor…what does it mean to savor what we eat?

As someone who’s had a tortured relationship with food for over 40 years, that feels like a dangerous question. If I savor what I eat, won’t I spin out of control and eat too much? If I savor what I eat, won’t I focus on food too much?

Yes, that could happen but we don’t have to be afraid. The converse is to never savor food because we treat it like a bad thing instead of a good thing. We don’t take the time to enjoy God’s goodness in His provision of our food. We dread holidays because there will be food and we fear we’ll eat too much.

We’ve focused for so long on trying to get food to be “legal” that we’ve missed enjoying the beauty of preparing a sumptuous meal for our loved ones. We miss the blessing of savoring the meal preparation as an act of loving service and enjoyment of what God has made. We rush to just get it done because we feel that it lurks as a trap for us.

But if we follow the 11 steps to freedom, we know that we only eat when we’re hungry and we stop when we’re satisfied. We don’t have to be afraid of any food. And we don’t have to continue to subsist on tasteless cardboard imitations of food. Remember, all things are lawful for me!

If you’re like me, you rarely slow down and savor the food you’re eating. I’m usually the first person finished eating at the table. And then I realize I didn’t really enjoy it and I’m tempted to eat more. Had I slowed down and savored the food, I wouldn’t be “in want of any good thing.”

Have you ever noticed that it’s really only the first few bites of something that taste really, really good? I think that’s why I like tapas restaurants so much. Just bring me little plates of food instead of giant portions. Then I can savor a few bites of each.

There are lots of ways to intentionally eat less, and as a “professional dieter,” I’ll list them here:

1. Put your fork down between bites.
2. Sip between bites.
3. Order off the appetizer menu.
4. Put half your meal in a to-go box before you start.
5. Share a meal.

Yep, you’ve heard it all before and probably more. These are practical steps, but how do you genuinely savor what God has made?

I would add these suggestions.

1. Approach food with a sense of wonder. I’m amazed at bananas and how perfectly God made them. God made a rubbery exterior that we’re able to open easily. And inside is something that’s firm and yet creamy. And it’s travelled so far to get to me and it’s still fresh and wonderful. (You get the picture.)
2. Make your meal a time of awe. Slow down and enjoy each bite. Think about the wonder that God created in this food. Have you ever noticed all the little bumps that go into making a blackberry? God, in His amazing creativity, has made the most unique foods for us to enjoy!
3. Eat clean for the most part. What I mean by that is try to focus on eating foods that God has made and that are as close to their natural state as possible. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to have a sense of wonder and awe about manmade ingredients like maltodextrin, sodium bicarbonate, and ferric orthophosphate. (This is not a RULE…it’s a guideline. All things are lawful for me.)

And always, eat with gratitude. As we give thanks to God and enjoy mindful eating, we learn to walk in the Spirit and eat in ways that honor God. I believe it honors God for us to savor rather than survive mealtimes.

Taste and see that the Lord is good!