On Acquired Tastes

Remember when your parents told you to try something when you were little and you absolutely hated it? Maybe it was turnip greens or spinach. Or perhaps you always hated coffee unless it had enough milk and sugar in it to make it look and taste like a caramel. When we had these moments, our parents would always tell us, "You'll like it one day. It's an acquired taste."

That's turned out true in my case with a lot of things. I used to despise tomatoes. Absolutely hated them. Now, I really like them. Same thing with hot tea. A few years ago, I thought it was the most awful thing you could put in your mouth. Why not just go suck on a hot leaf? (No this is not a plug for marijuana usage) But now, I really enjoy drinking hot tea without any sugar.

Acquired tastes aren't limited to just food, though. Our tastes mature in music, art, clothing styles, and even who we choose to hang out with. It's just part of growing up. As we grow older, we always seem to acquire tastes for things we once hated.

Unfortunately, the same scenario often applies to our faith. I remember when I first gave my heart to the Lord. I loved his Word, and I hated sin. Any sinful part of my life I couldn't stand, and I would do whatever it took to stay away from things that disobeyed God. However, as I have "matured" in my faith, I have lost a little bit of that sharp eye I used to have. In the name of acceptance and gentleness, I have acquired a taste for tolerance. There are certain things that I do now or have done recently that I never would have done when I was younger.

Jesus tells us that we're supposed to come to him like little children. The thing about little children is that they love eagerly and they hate strongly. With our faith, it should be the same way. We should love the Lord with all our hearts, as strong a love as we can muster. And we should hate sin equally fervently.

Acquiring tastes for things that are good for you is good. I'm glad I like tomatoes now. They're good for my heart.

Acquiring a taste for sin is not.