Taste and Feel that the Lord is Good

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"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

Squirrel's fur is endued with magical qualities. It's really quite remarkable. It doesn't matter how bad the day has been, if I sit and stroke Squirrel's velvety coat, suddenly everything is better. Have you ever burrowed your face into your favorite throw blanket and rubbed it against your cheek?

Squirrel's fur is softer. I promise. Especially his ears. Rubbing them is addictive.

If I know I'm going to be on a difficult (cameras off!) work call, I'll often take it next to him on the floor so I can use his fur to bring my heart rate down.

I volunteered for a season of my life as a sexual assault hotline advocate. It was incredibly rewarding and incredibly hard. It takes a special skillset - which I don't have - to be able to hold that role long-term, but I am grateful for the many lessons that I learned during the short 18-ish months I served.

As you can imagine, there was an enormous amount of training that we first had to undergo before we could actually begin staffing the 24/7 hotline. A surprisingly large amount of the training was very applicable to every day life. There is one technique for PTSD flashbacks that I have found particularly useful in any stressful situation. The practice comes down to five and five - five things for five senses. Ask yourself, what are five things I can currently see? Don't overthink it. Now, what are five things you can hear? Etc., etc., etc.

(Please tell me you read that with Yul Brenner's voice in your head.)

The idea is to firmly center yourself in the present. A PTSD flashback traps a person in a memory, to the point they genuinely think they are living it again. Any sort of panic typically happens because your mind is overwhelmed by a bad memory from the past or is overwhelmed by a potential scary event in the future. When we can stop and see where we really are at the moment, panic tends to decrease.

I would argue it's no coincidence then, that God commands us to "taste and see" His goodness. It isn't a matter of conjuring it in our minds, as if God only exists in our imagination. He encourages us to use all of our senses to experience and ground ourselves in who He is.

I taste honey and am reminded that the Word of God is sweet.

I smell lilacs and am reminded that my life is to be a pleasant-smelling incense before the Lord.

I see a sunrise and know that for all its vibrancy, it pales in magnificence next to the throne room of God.

I hear music of any kind and know I must praise the God who gifts us with such beauty.

And I feel my boy's fur and know I am being soothed not just by a dog, but by the LORD.