One of my husband’s very favorite foods is a thick, warm slice of zucchini bread. To be honest I had never had this delicacy (and I am not even sure I knew it existed) until after we were married. I remember that we were on a bit of a getaway when we stopped at a bakery in Laporte, Indiana. We wanted an afternoon snack before we headed home to our seven children.
I watched Dan’s eyes light up when he discovered zucchini bread in the bakery case. Mmmm, I was skeptical but I knew Dan could be trusted. He was and still is a connoisseur of good food. So we both decided to have a slice of zucchini bread. My mouth experienced a celebration rarely known on this side of heaven. It was truly delicious. We ordered two loaves to take home with us. I could not wait until our seven children tried it.
That night after supper we told the kids what we had found and offered them each a slice.
“No WAY!!” was the quick, adamant response.
For some reason the name zucchini bread did not sound appetizing to them at all! I was not prepared for this and instantly I was struck with FOMO for my kids! Have you been there? The fear of missing out or the fear that your children or someone else you love will miss out? Dan and I were so disappointed. We could not believe they would not even have a taste of something we knew to be so good.
We did our best to convince them. Finally, we had to bribe them. All they had to do was take one bite and if they did not like it they did not have to eat anymore. So, with scrunched, disgusted faces they held their noses as they bit down on the one bite I had set before them. Their faces did not stay that way long. It was fun to watch them turn from disgust to delight. Those two loaves of zucchini bread never made it through the night.
Within a few months I had found my own recipe that everyone loved and you could say that zucchini bread became a family tradition. To this very day we all love zucchini bread. My husband still chooses it over just about any other dessert, or food for that matter.
Just like I wanted my children to experience the goodness of zucchini bread, I want others to experience the goodness of God. When I think of the goodness of God I have that same fear - that someone I love will miss out.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8)
The Psalmist encourages us to taste and see. Yet some refuse to taste so they will never see. With scrunched, disgusted faces they cannot imagine how goodness and God could go together. They do not see that the God Who hung the moon in the night sky and set the boundaries for the oceans is concerned about them, loves them or desires to bless them.
In Psalm 107 we learn about the goodness of God. We find out what God does for the wandering, the hungry, the thirsty, and the troubled. He delivers our souls when we cry out to Him. He leads us in the right way so that we might experience the goodness of His wonderful work in our lives.
“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Psalm 107:8-9)
We do not have to wander like a lost sheep - hungry and thirsty. Psalm 34:8 says, “blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” We can trust God. We can trust His leading in our lives and the way He chooses for us. We can trust He will fill our hungry, thirsty souls with His goodness.
The word “blessed” in Psalm 34:8 means “how happy!” In my Strong's Concordance it actually has an exclamation point after the “how happy.” 44 times in scripture we find the Greek word for this word blessed. That is a lot of “how happy!” in the Bible. We can rest assured that God cares about our happiness. Because He loves us so very much and because He is truly good, He desires to bless us.
So may I encourage you to taste and you will see that God is good!
Zucchini Bread
Preheat oven to 350
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
I egg
¼ cup cooking oil
¼ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
½ cup chopped walnuts
In a mixing bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder. In another mixing bowl beat together sugar, shredded zucchini and egg. Add oil and lemon peel; mix well. Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture. Gently fold in chopped nuts. Turn batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes.
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