A lot of people reject things without even knowing what they’re missing. For instance, sushi. There are certain things that will not go in my mouth. Sushi is one of them. Guacamole is another. I’ve seen too many things that look like that coming from the south end of a north-bound cow. Won’t go in. Nope. Won’t even try it. Raw fish (I know, not all sushi is raw) won’t go in either. Not gonna happen.
I’ve eaten fish, though, so I kind of have an idea of what fish tastes like. Fried smelt, broiled cod, sunfish, northern pike, and probably dozens of different varieties of fish. So when I say I won’t eat sushi, there’s a little background in knowing what fish tastes like.
“Oh, but Mark, you’ve never tasted it the way I’ve cooked it!” That’s true. I admit it. It’s possible that everyone who has ever made fish for me has been inept. It’s possible that I’ve never tasted anything other than “bad” lake fish, and never had fresh river trout the way you’ve cooked it. It’s also possible I just don’t like fish.
Some people dip it in butter and roll it in flour and fry it in a pan. Others have it breaded and deep fried. I know folks who season it, wrap it in foil, and grill it over charcoal. So far I have to say I’ve never had fish I liked. Some are “meh,” but nothing has ever made me crave the taste of fish.
As mentioned, guac just looks so terrible it won’t go in. It might taste great, but I’ll never know. Won’t make it past the lips.
“Mark, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Believe me, I’ve tried. Won’t go in.
There are people look at the bible that way, too. They just won’t go into it. Something about it just sets their teeth on edge and even if they read the words the message won’t get past the lips. The reason why is there’s an underlying assumption behind the bible: there is a God and He created everything. Even that reader.
If that message ever sinks in, the reader will have to respond. And the God of the bible won’t let anyone sit at the center of creation except Himself. To really understand that point means confronting the fact that nobody is qualified to make decisions about anything except the Being Who knows everything.
As an author I know a little about crafting stories. I’ve done horrible things to characters, but I know it’s going to come out okay in the end. As the ultimate storyteller, God has His plot figured out. It’ll be okay in the end. But for someone who doesn’t know the bible or God, they don’t know that. And they don’t have to know that. As long as they don’t know, they can assume they know what’s going on and how to fix things.
Once someone seeks to understand there’s two choices: accept or reject. There’s really no middle ground, despite what some people try to think. “Oh, I like this part but not that part.” Simply put, that’s rejection. What makes anyone think they know more about Creation than the Creator? Hubris. Idolatry. Telling God He doesn’t know what He’s doing.
So most folks don’t even try to get the guac into their mouth. It looks so disgusting they can’t even try it. “What? I’m not the master of my own destiny?” And they won’t even try.
“Oh, I’ve tried that fish before! You can’t trick me.” But this fish is different.
All the other fish in the world explain what you have to do to get to God. This one explains how God is reaching out to you. He’ll meet you where you are.
He just won’t leave you there.
See if you can get that guac past your lips.
Try a taste.
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