Green Eggs and Ham

            Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Ps 34:8)

When I was in kindergarten, my class read the Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham. Following the story, our teacher gave us the oddly colored food to eat. I remember staring in disgust and refusing to try the eggs and ham, thinking that they would taste bad and be detrimental to my body. To my disappointment, my teacher would not accept my refusal and prodded me to try them. “You’ll see! It tastes just the same!” she said. After much convincing, I finally agreed to eat the green eggs.

When I decided to take a leap of faith and trust my teacher’s words, something unexpected happened. You can imagine the awe on my face when I took the first bite and realized, “These green eggs taste just like real eggs!”

When I think back to this silly event, I also reflect on the worries I sometimes have when the Almighty God (who is much greater than my teacher) directs me to complete a task that may be outside of my comfort zone. Just as God told Abram to leave the comfort of his home and move to a new environment, or when He promised to give him a son in his old age, sometimes obeying God’s commands and requests can be daunting when all we see are green eggs—things that are unknown, uncomfortable, or new for us.

Today, if we truly believe that the Lord our God loves and cares for us and wishes us no harm—that He has a plan to give us a future and a hope (Jer 29:11)—then we should no longer refuse the green eggs and ham that He offers. Whether they are choices regarding our career, our marriage, or where to relocate, we should no longer be afraid to put our lives into His hands and to let Him direct our future. Instead, we should trust that He knows what is best for us and submit to His will. Then we will taste and see that He is indeed good.

Reflection Question

1.      What are some “green eggs and ham” in your life today?