The readings for today remind me of one of my favorite children’s novels, The Search for Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt. In that book, the king of a fictional land in the olden days wants to have a dictionary written. He agrees with “Affectionate is your dog . . . Bulky is a big bag of boxes . . . Calamitous is saying no to the King.” But when the writers get to D for Delicious, the members of the court quarrel about what is the best example of something delicious. To solve the dilemma, a tween boy is sent throughout the land to survey the populace to find what is considered by most to be delicious. The people’s responses are influenced by their own interests, and an adventure ensues for the boy. In the end, as a result of the events, everyone agrees on what is most delicious, and it may surprise the readers as to what that is. The story is a delightful fantasy tale with an important theme. I highly recommend it for adults as well as children, and I have tried hard not to spoil the wonderful ending for you.
I thought of that book in relation to today’s entry by wondering how often we are distracted by our own interests, by what we have decided will be “delicious” for us. Driven by our consumerist culture, we tend to set unrealistic expectations for fulfillment based on the things of this world. Then we wind up puzzled as to why our appetites do not feel sated while our houses and storage units are full.
The verses and the devotional both mention coming to the Lord’s table to be truly satisfied. How much better for us to turn to God’s feast of fulfillment, which is available to us all the time through a personal relationship with Him.