It looks like one of my kids is going to follow in my footsteps as a foodie.
A couple of months ago, I walked my twelve-year-old through the process of making a simple pasta dish. He is terrified of cutting his finger with a knife or burning his hand on the stove—things he’s seen me do many times in the kitchen—so he was pretty cautious and nervous about my little cooking lesson. He stood about two feet away from the stove and attempted to stir the pasta in a pot of boiling water. From the doorway, however, my five-year-old (who was only four at the time), watched every move we made.
A couple weeks later, I asked my older son if he thought he could replicate the cooking process I’d walked him through. His younger brother piped in: “First, you fill a pot with water. Then you turn on the burner. Boil the water before you add the pasta.” Aside from the instantaneous fear of my child attempting to ignite the gas burner on the stove, I was impressed with his attention to detail.
Since then I’ve noticed his growing interest in what I’m cooking each night, what the ingredients are, and how they’re cooked. He likes to try new foods and celebrate the ones he really loves. When he finds something particularly tasty, he wants everyone to try it. If he gets a treat while his brother isn’t home, he’s quick to say that we need to save some for his brother. If he’s eating a snack that he’s really enjoying, he’ll hand it to you so you can take a bite. “Here, Mom. Take a bite!” He is thrilled to share what he has just experienced.
I love his exuberance to share something good with others. He genuinely wants you to share in his joy. We all love to recommend things to others: books, music, podcasts, movies, restaurants, recipes, travel venues. When we have an experience that has affected us positively, we don’t want to keep that joy to ourselves.
I used to think that people who railed on Bible reading all the time were doing so to make me feel guilty. A call to read Scripture regularly somehow felt like an indictment on my lack of discipline or interest in doing so. That was conviction speaking, of course. As a believer in Jesus, I should have given my life to knowing Him long before I regularly did so. How can you love someone you don’t know? I lived on crumbs of Scripture for many years before pulling up a seat to the table and eating every day.
When I finally tasted the goodness of the Lord through His Word on a regular basis, my understanding of all those convicting calls to read the Bible changed in my mind. They weren’t indictments. They were invitations. As I read and studied, the Lord stretched my mind with the knowledge of who He is. I’d had such a small picture of Him before studying the Bible. As I grew in knowledge of Him, I grew in love for Him. He just…well, He got me. I was hooked. I could never go back to a life without regular feasting at His table. I understood that Scripture is no empty Word but my very life (Deut. 32:47), and suddenly, I was the person railing about Bible reading to everyone I knew. I was my little son, standing with a new favorite food in hand, offering it to anyone who would listen, and saying, “Please, take a bite!”
When another believer keeps telling you to read your Bible, it’s probably not because they want you to feel guilty. It’s unlikely that they want to shine a light on your lack of discipline or your resistance to picking up the Scriptures on a regular basis. When a brother or sister in Christ encourages you to read and study and pray, it’s probably not because they want you think they’re better at practicing spiritual disciplines or that they’re holier than you are.
When another believer tells you that you should read your Bible, it’s probably because reading the Bible has changed their life. It’s probably because they have tasted and seen that the Lord’s Word is good, and they want you to share in their joy.
When you’ve given yourself to knowing the Lord through His Word, I believe that with time you will become “hooked” by them. That’s not to say that I don’t go through dry spells at times (I do), but even so—the Word is unlike any food I’ve ever tried. It satisfies my longings while still drawing me back for more and more. I’m simultaneously always hungry and always full. This paradox is only true of the inerrant Word of God. The Bible is like no other book! It is living and active, able to correct, teach, rebuke, instruct, expose, comfort, encourage, heal. No time given to Scripture is wasted. The more you eat of it, the better it tastes to you. The more you feed your soul with the Word, the more your soul will hunger for it. With time, Scripture can change your palate.
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103
When you keep hearing from friends, church members, mentors, or pastors that you “should” be reading your Bible, it’s unlikely because they’re out to make you feel guilty. It’s probably because they’ve tasted how sweet the words of the Lord are, and they desperately want you to eat them and experience the life-giving, soul-satisfying, sin-exposing, truth-proclaiming, gospel-rich, always-filling food of Scripture. They want you to take a bite.
The Word of God a feast every day. And once you’ve pulled up a place at the table to partake, it’s a feast you’ll want to invite others to enjoy. You’ll want them to take a bite.
The more you feed your soul with the Word, the more your soul will hunger for it. With time, Scripture can change your palate. Share on X“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Glenna Marshall is married to her pastor, William, and lives in rural Southeast Missouri where she tries and fails to keep up with her two energetic sons. She is the author of The Promise is His Presence (P&R) and Everyday Faithfulness (Crossway), and Memorizing Scripture (Moody). Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
