“Taste and see that the Lord, He is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”   Psalm 34:8

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—He Who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He Who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”   Psalm 121

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. “   Psalm 34:18

            “Taste and see that the Lord, He is good….” These have been the faint whispers to my heart since last summer starting in the raging beauty of Young Life’s Malibu Camp in British Columbia. Yielding to the stunning cascades of snow capped mountains and reflecting into Jervis Inlet and Princess Louisa Inlet, God seemed to beckon my name. To call out with the seals. To revel in the laughter, adventure and dance. To pursue a weary heart for true refreshment. To live life surrounded by some of the finest souls this side of heaven. Tantalizing tastes and sights of God’s immense and lavish love. God knew that in June, I would need this exact visual to know without a shadow of doubt, that He is good. Then the words, “Taste and see that the Lord, He is good,” fell into a megaphone last fall. Will you, Leigh, trust in My goodness even if…one of your sons is diagnosed with cancer? “Will you simply move past the lip service and be tangibly, experientially connected to My goodness?” Isn’t there beauty in the offer of engaging two of our senses, of taste and sight, so that our feelings follow in line with His goodness?

As I write this post, simply putting the words out here is daunting. 2016 held, for our family, a unique set of suffering with the loss of my dear 90 year old mom, the loss of my childhood home, and the subsequent diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for my middle as well as acute liver failure with successful transplant for our beloved 6-year-old neighbor. In addition, our beloved neighbor, friend, and adopted family member continues to struggle daily with Parkinson’s and the treatment from squamous cell carcinoma. Additionally, a dear friend has been fighting valiantly against a very aggressive form a breast cancer. Oh, the brokenness of this world continues to plummet and chase after each and every one of us; and we are each faced squarely with a choice. Will we believe the gospel to be true for us? Will we yield to God’s purposes even though we are completely powerless to thwart the oncoming affliction? Can we trust He is good, no matter what?

As I am a third of the way into a counseling degree, God has been equipping my heart with every step: studying “death” in life span development exactly when my mom died and studying “suffering” exactly at the moment of Cole’s diagnosis. The broken places in this world are indeed heart shattering. At St. Jude, I witnessed the pain in countless eyes and the devastation in many hearts because a cancer diagnosis for a child is right up there with one of our worst fears in life. A cancer diagnosis happened; and fears were realized. I will never be ok with the fact that my beloved middle had cancer and how it will forever impact him as well as all of us. I will never be ok with the ways Satan allowed brokenness to harm my family along with countless others.  I will never be ok with the hundreds of kids I encountered daily who would much rather be outside playing, laughing and living life as they should. Yet, I will be ok in the full surrender to a sovereign God Who never sleeps or tires in going ahead of me time and time again to prepare and to provide. He welcomes the broken.

            Taste and see, that the Lord He is good. Mere words cannot capture the magnitude of Young Life’s Malibu Camp in terms of sights and experience; yet, God has used this incredible vista over the years with many folks, young and old alike, to invite: “Will you dare to draw closer to Me?” In the drawing closer, He just might meet us exactly where we are so that we find our home there. A home to be known. A home to be seen. A home that feels safe and comfortable. A home that knows no parameters in place. A home not restricted by Malibu in British Columbia, but a permanent home, not affected by the transition of ownership. The perfect home with the triune God.

Jesus often asked, “What do you need?” Why does Jesus invite the crippled to articulate his needs? Why would He want to hear the obvious because He already knew? Could it be that the question posed was a place for the man to acknowledge His need for his own benefit?

Jesus comes to us this day inviting and welcoming us yet again; and we have the opportunity to allow God to meet us in our need. We all have needs; and the beauty is that God welcomes them in our deepest heart cries. Strength and joy are found in this Dwelling Place. Will you taste and see that He is good, no matter what your struggles are this day?