“To Savor; To Appreciate, focus upon with delight, drink joy from, hold in the heart, to taste, to live in the moment, and to revisit in memory and bliss” (Definition from The Book of Cary, I SAY IT 4:11)

“God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (The REAL Book, I Timothy 6:17).

    Do you savor the Savior? God is the source of all good and perfect gifts according to James 1:17. He is the Creator of a majestic Universe, a beautiful earth, and the molecular building blocks that make up you and me.

    Here’s our trouble; we live in a fallen sinful world, and dealing with that fallen sinful reality takes much of our physical, spiritual, and emotional resources. We get drained, tired, we feel beaten, shoved, pushed, wrung out, and “stomped every way but flat.” It just makes it a little tough to focus on the birds, the butterflies, the sunshine, and lovers running in slow motion in the park. Add this to the compounded struggles of single life, and sometimes survival is the best we can do. The job climate is insecure, we seem to live in a rootless culture, and there are some many temptations for single people out there.

    That’s the deal; we have incredible beauty, and at the same time, we seem consumed by incredible problems. What can help us deal with this paradox? I’m glad you asked. It’s a two part process.

    First, I happen to know of a very special gift of God available to all who will accept it. A few years ago, I bought a small table at a junk shop for just a few dollars. It was coated with dirt, mildew, and thick ugly paint. After cleaning it, I scraped a little paint off the top. To my utter amazement, a glint of gold shone through the paint. More scraping, quicker now, and more gold. The tabletop was all inlaid wood of a beautiful golden color, hidden under the crud until I discovered it! I want to tell you about God’s special Gift to us, it’s called Grace, and it shines through the crud. Sometimes grace shines through!

    Second, we must respond in love and appreciation for the Grace that shines through. We must SAVOR the moment even as it happens, and keep it for future reference in our heart. This two step process helps us deal with the paradox of earthly life. When you add these moments of grace, “collect” them so speak, you have a great treasure.

    Savoring can become a lifestyle! We live each day by God’s Grace; unfortunately we are just not conscious of it very often. When we become conscious of the God’s grace that shines through all the crud in our life, we are truly blessed, and we become aware of even more Grace shining through. Let me give you an example.

    One of my children seems to be making a lifetime job of going to college. Each year for Homecoming, the rest of the family packs into our old Suburban, and head to Abilene to visit him. We always eat lunch at a place called Harold’s Barbecue in Abilene.

We live each day by God’s Grace; unfortunately we are just not conscious of it very often.

    I want to digress a moment and talk about some true things. First, barbecue and Mexican food should be free and available to all people who want it, anytime they want it. It is as necessary to some of us as air. Now you can substitute your own favorite food there, depending on your geographical region. It may be a Philly cheese steak, lox and bagels, or mutton, if you live in a country with a goat-based economy. I grew up in a beef and pork economy. As far as eating goes, barbecue and Mexican food seem the best to me. Within the world of barbecue, to me there is one sacred place with the best barbecue ribs on the planet. That place is Harold’s Barbecue in Abilene, Texas. Harold and his extended family run the place, and he’s hard at work in the Pit. The Pit is where the transformation takes place.

    Harold takes raw beef and pork, prepares it, places it in the Pit; out comes the Nectar of Ecstasy. It gets even better. Harold cuts off and sets aside the “rib ends,” cuts considered too fatty for normal human consumption. Normal human does not include me. Harold will GIVE me the steaming rib ends on a plate, with a piece of jalapeno cornbread, beans, and sauce on the side. My family and I sat down to this wonderful lunch, and I began savoring the moment.

    Now, here comes the Grace part. Harold also sings spirituals with a beautiful, deep, buttery-thick voice. It is unbelievable that someone who makes divine barbecue also makes divine music. Maybe they go together. As we eat, the place fills up with Homecoming visitors. Harold comes to the middle of the restaurant, wipes sweat from his brow, tosses a towel over his shoulder, and addresses the crowd. Here are his remarks:

“Folks, I welcome everybody here today, but my heart is heavy. I have had some problems in my life, and maybe you have too. And the way I deal with my problems is to sing ‘em to the Good Lord. And I’m gonna do that right now, so keep on eatin’ and just listen...

When you feel down,
Praise the Looooord,
When you get put down,
Praise the Loooooord,
No matter what happens,
what anyone does,
When people hurt you,
Praise the Looooord

    I have to try to describe this. Harold’s voice filled that room, and every heart in it. The ceiling shook on the high notes, and the floor rumbled on the low notes. I had shivers and goose bumps all over. Heaven got a little lopsided for a second, because all the angels ran to the edge and stood on tiptoe to hear Harold sing. I looked into the faces of my family, and our eyes swam with tears. Between the divine singing, and the divine barbecue, it was too much to take. The point is this, I SAVORED that moment, and I savor it still! That’s Grace shinin’ through.

    You have had moments like that, but maybe they just slipped away from you. That’s such a shame. It’s such a cryin’ shame when we don’t recognize them. Wake up! See the Grace shinin’ through. Savor the Moment! Savor the Savior that makes it all possible. So that...

“When you feel down,
You can remember and
Praise the Looooord,
When you get put down,
Grace comes shinin’ through to
Praise the Loooooord,
No matter what happens,
what anyone does,
When people hurt you,
Savor the Savior
Let grace shine on through and
Praise the Looooord”

Title: "Savor the Savior"
Author: Cary Branscum
Publication Date: May 4, 2001

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