day 8::enjoying the good life

taste and see the goodness of the Lord. ~ james e. moore (psalm 34:8)

a few years ago, tripp was in california for work.  and as consolation for him being gone for an entire week, he sent home six bottles of frog’s leap sauvignon blanc….one of my very favorite wines.

over the course of next couple of months, i enjoyed my wine.  partially because of the actual wine itself – i do so love sauvignon blanc.  but i also love this wine because it reminds me of the long weekend tripp and i spent in napa several years prior.  we had the best time touring local wineries, but frog’s leap was hands down our absolute favorite.

anyway, when i got down to my last bottle, i decided that i would save it for a special occasion.  and so i put it in the wine fridge.  then, as it is wont to to, life happened.  and i completely forgot about it.

so fast forward to this past spring.  the weather was starting to warm up and i was ready to trade in my cooler season red wines for whites.  and after a trip to my local wine shop to stock up on a few bottles, i came home to put them away in my wine fridge.  guess what i stumbled upon.

i was so excited!  it was a random thursday, but who cares!  my favorite bottle of wine!  woohoo! so i go grab a glass and pour some in….then i thought i might actually hurl at how horrible it was.  my wine had gone rancid.  white wine isn’t like red wine which can be aged for many years.  white wine is meant to be enjoyed the within a couple of years of being harvested and bottled.  and when it goes bad….it’s really bad.

i should have enjoyed my wine when i had the chance, not save it for special occasion.  but haven’t we all done this to some degree?  {please say yes}  i mean i can’t even tell you how many times i’ve heard my mom say, ‘i’m going to save this for good.’  and i can’t help but wonder sometimes that by saving things for special occasions, we’re missing out on the good stuff that today has to offer.

i don’t know…maybe i’m just being greedy, but i want to enjoy my life all the time – not just when it’s a birthday, or holiday, or goodhairday.  because isn’t today as good a day as any?

this is the day the Lord has made.  we will rejoice and be glad in it.~psalm 118:24

like i shared yesterday, as my ‘vision’ has improved over the past few years, i have witnessed how abundant God’s blessings are.  every day He gives us gifts – beauty-full flowers of every shape and color, deliciously sweet and crunchy apples, the cardinal that sings outside my bedroom window in the morning – the world we live in is a feast for the senses! and i believe that God has given us these senses to enjoy all of these blessings with.

every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.  ~james 1:17

for the record, this would be the gratitude side of my brain talking.  but in the spirit of full disclosure, i should tell you that i also share my brain with my alter-ego.  she is the one who went to college.  she is the one who took a biology and botany.  she is a skeptic.  and to my above revelry in the delights of nature, she would say that our senses evolved to keep us alive and protect us from danger.  we have taste buds so that we can detect poison, ears to hear predators, and eyes to see potential food sources.

my response to the that is, you bet!  amen!  thank you God for giving us senses to keep us alive and protect us from danger!

BUT.  as a retort, i would also like to posit this…

if, for example, our taste buds were to only meant to function at detecting bad things, why do we have the ability to taste good things?  what would be the evolutionary purpose of being able to taste sweet peaches and chocolate chip cookies? if flowers give off scent to attract pollinators, why is it then that i can i smell the delicate beauty of a lilac bush?  what would be the function of the magnificent colors of the sunset?  i mean, scientifically i know how that happens…but why?

it is because beautiful, wonderful, colorful, delicious things bring glory to God.  and they are are a gift from God.  and aren’t gifts meant to be enjoyed?

God give gifts and i give thanks and i unwrap the gift given: joy. ~ann voskamp

so whatever is good in your life today.  give thanks thanks for it.  enjoy it.  because today is a good day.  today is a special occasion.

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