A Diverse Palate

How diverse is your palate?

Would you describe your taste as big, broad, and exciting – or more on the small, narrow, and safe side? What have you tried recently that really pushed you outside your comfort zone?

Squid anyone?

I knew a guy who ate cheese pizza for at least one meal every day through junior high and high school. That’s a pretty narrow palate there, buddy.

We have a friend who confessed she’d never eaten a raspberry. What??!!?! Girl, you’re missing out. I mean, raspberries are God’s favorite fruit.

Speaking of God, I believe he has a big palate. Think about it—He is the creator. All the wonderful and creative diversity in nature reveals something about Him… God’s taste is big, broad, and exciting.

Now, I don’t really care what you eat or don’t eat.

If you refuse to eat raspberries, I’ll think you’re missing out—but we can be friends.

If you’re in a committed relationship with cheese pizza, I’ll be concerned about your cholesterol—but we can be friends.

Here’s what I do care about:

That we develop a diverse (big, broad, exciting) palate for people.

Why? Because God does. And because Jesus brings people together.

When He was born, working-class shepherds were drawn-in, and scholars (the Magi) from distant lands were drawn-in.

Just think about all the people who were drawn-in during His ministry years: outsiders, insiders, sinners, saints, rich, poor, outcasts, cool kids, young, old…

The book of Revelation gives us a vision of things to come: “I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7.9 NLT)

Last year, our family took a cruise. We’ve been on cruises before, but this one was different. The cruise started in Genoa, Italy. All of our other cruises started in the USA.

And because this cruise started in Italy, the food was different from what we’ve had before.

There were lots of things we didn’t recognize. There were lots of items missing that we expected to find.

Walking down the buffet line, our eyes scanned for familiar things.

The brain quickly processes and eliminates the unfamiliar, “No, no, no, no, eww, is that squid? No, no, no, ah—yes! I think I’ll have a couple slices of this cheese pizza.”

You’ve done this before, right?

The problem is…

We do this with people too.

Not always intentionally or willfully. It’s more of a mindless reflex, an automatic response.

In a room full of people, our eyes scan for the familiar.

The brain quickly processes and eliminates the unfamiliar, “No, no, no, no, eww, is she really wearing that? No, no, no, ah—yes! I think I’ll go sit with my buddy over there.”

Here’s the deal: we have to choose to take some risks and expand our palates.

It won’t happen all on its own. Learning to appreciate Lebanese cuisine takes some intentional effort on your part. The same thing is true with people—learning to appreciate them takes intentional effort on your part.

Do it.

Serious. Work on it.

Develop a big, broad, diverse, and exciting palate for people.

QUESTION: What’s the weirdest or most palate-stretching thing you’ve eaten?