Taste buds. Yep, that’s what I wrote in my journal today. Thank you, Lord, for taste buds.
Has it ever occurred to you that God didn’t have to create us with taste buds? He could have made us like dogs, who have one-sixth the number of taste buds humans have.
Without taste buds, we’d eat simply to supply our bodies with enough calories to survive. It wouldn’t matter what we ate, as long as we filled our stomachs. Like pumping gasoline into a gas tank. Or watering a plant.
Instead, God gave us 7,000 glorious taste buds with the ability to sense sweet, salty, bitter, salty, and savory. Oh, the pleasure we experience when we taste the summer sweetness of a ripe watermelon. Or the salty deliciousness of a giant bowl of buttered popcorn. Or the savory, melt-in-your-mouth goodness of a perfectly cooked steak.
First Timothy 6:17 gives us a glimpse of why God infused our bodies and our world with sensory pleasures.
“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.”
1 Timothy 6:17
Did you catch the second half of this verse? “God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.”
When God created the world, He designed it for our pleasure. He created flowers with heavenly scents, sunsets with a rainbow of colors, and kittens with silky-soft fur. He made bumbly puppies with sweet-smelling puppy breath, chattering squirrels to make us laugh, and friends and family to enjoy life with.
God could have made the world utilitarian. Monochromatic. Efficient. Dull. Instead, he created it with a billion spots of delight and pleasure. Our precious Father, who richly gives us all we need (and so much more) fashioned the world for our enjoyment.
What a gift. What a God.
Today, as you make your way through the world, take a moment and pause. Smell the air. Feel the sunshine or the rain. Savor the taste of your food. Ponder the things that bring you pleasure. Then, thank your Creator, the God who loves you so much that He surrounds you with gifts to enjoy.
See. Hear. Touch. Smell. Taste. Be grateful.
Now it’s your turn. What has God created that you especially enjoy? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
About Refresh Your Hope,
60 Devotions for Trusting God with All Your Heart
How can you hold on to hope in an uncertain world? Especially when experiencing disappointments, setbacks, and discouragement? In Refresh Your Hope, Lori Hatcher invites you to renew your confidence and courage by calling attention to the remarkably good news—you have a hope greater than you could ever imagine.
An unshakable hope.
In this uplifting, Scripture-driven 60-day devotional, Lori returns to our rock-solid foundation—God’s amazing promises and His faithful character. Each warm, story-based reading will help you grow closer to God as you reflect on His assurances, His generous nature, and His unwavering commitments. Strengthen your prayer life with thought-provoking prompts. Replace anxiety with joy, peace, and trust while encountering Bible truths about the ultimate Source of hope.
Available now on Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and other fine retailers.
Why not share a copy with a friend who could use a fresh dose of hope?
Have you subscribed to Refresh?
If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.
I’m grateful for all aspects of creation (including those 7000 taste buds), but I’m expecially thankful for God’s gift of beautiful flowers. And Spring will come soon! Thank you for this inspiring reminder to express our gratitude.
I’m with you, Katherine. Flowers, especially in the springtime after a long, grey winter are God’s special gift to us. And flowers that smell sweet? Oh, my! Lilac, gardenia, hyacinth, lilies. I often run around with pollen on my nose from sticking it into every flower I can find 🙂
SUNSHINE! I just can’t get enough of it, and feeling its warmth on my face is pure bliss to me. Maybe because I live in a cooler climate than the one I was raised in, or maybe because the older I get, the more I detest being cold. Whatever the reason I’m thankful for sunshine – it’s like a kiss blown from heaven.😉
Oh my, yes, Shelly, you and I are sisters! I love sunshine so much. Almost as much as I hate cold. No wait, I hate cold more. But sunshine cures cold, so there’s that. I’m praying spring will be early this year for both of us!