“Your own, personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares.
Your own, personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who’s there.”

If you’re a fan of “the Man In Black”, Johnny Cash, OR if you’re a fellow Gen Xer (like yours truly), you recognize those words from the song “Your Own Personal Jesus”. Released by Depeche Mode in 1989 and then again by Johnny Cash in 2002. More on that in a sec.

In other news, I have to give you an update on my life. This might shock some of you, and for that I’ll just give you a mild “sorry, not sorry.” In all honesty, I’m not sure I ever thought I’d say to you what I’m about to say.

For months and months, my wife has worn and enjoyed a pair of Birkenstock sandals. She swears by them. She loves them. They were always “her thing” and honestly I never considered myself a Birkenstock type of guy. Just not my vibe. No offense to all you hemp-wearing hippies out there. Do your thing. Birkenstocks just weren’t for me. Period.

As we approached my birthday (which happened just a couple of weeks ago), my wife was quietly and gently suggesting and hinting that maybe I might want to rethink my staunch stance on these sandals, beloved by millions. She was convinced that once I just tried them, I’d change my tune. Long story short, I’m sitting here at my laptop that’s sitting on a cafe table, and just under that table on my two feet are…you guessed it…

I’ve come to realize that Birkenstocks really are a great shoe. As I’ve been told, the longer I wear them, the more comfortable they’ll become. Apparently, the unique corky material used in the footbed will slowly morph itself to the shape of my foot. The more I walk, the better they fit.

David invites us with these words in Psalm 34:8:

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Every faith story begins with a willingness to taste. For some, that taste is taken at the bottom of life’s proverbial barrel, at rock bottom, when there are no other options left. For others, that taste is taken when life is going just fine, but there’s still an empty ache that persists within us. For some, the taste is taken after tasting of the world and the world’s ways and metrics of success have been tasted and found at first sweet, but afterwards leaves a deep, bitter aftertaste that simply won’t do. Regardless of who you are, the invitation is the same: Taste & See. The imperative connotation David gives us is that if you taste, you’ll see that, in fact, “the Lord is good.”

The longer I walk with Jesus, the more Jesus becomes so very personal to me. He’s not merely King, Messiah, Savior, “Darling of Heaven”, and Supreme Authority, though he is most definitely all those things. He’s also my greatest friend, my closest ally, my solid ground, and the One to whom I can (and do) take every topic, every question, every pain, every frustration, every joy, and every experience I have. There is nothing this personal Jesus isn’t personally involved with in my life. I’ve tasted and I’ve seen that He’s good.

Have you tasted and seen the same?

If you haven’t tasted and seen that the Lord Jesus is good, let me echo David’s invitation to you today, thousands of years after it was originally recorded. Taste Him. You’ll see.

I’m not pushing religion here. I’m not asking you to join a club. I’m not saying meet me at church this Sunday. I’m saying right where you are, right how you are, in whatever condition your life is in right now, and for whatever reasons you haven’t tasted and seen up to this point. Just taste, and you’ll see.

Tell me you’ve tasted and haven’t seen that He’s good. I’d love to hear those stories. I’d love for you to reach out if you’ve actually tasted who Jesus truly is, and have found Him to be NOT good. Please reach out. Email me. Call me up. Leave a comment below. I’m not gonna argue with you. I really just want to hear your story.

Tell me if you’ve tasted and found Jesus to be good. Leave me a note in the comments and testify to the goodness of God. I’d love to gather as many people as possible who read these words to simply drop a statement so that others can see that you’ve tasted and seen that Jesus is good. That you’ve tried Him and found that He’s not only the centerpiece of time and eternity, but He’s a personal friend in whom you’ve placed your form-fitted faith.