The Tasteless Dragon Fruit!

Over the past month I have twice bought a dragon fruit (in Spanish called, “pitaya”). Each time I expected to taste a fruit that has a slightly sweet yet mild flavor. I read that it tastes like a cross between a kiwi and a pear. But each time, I ended up with a piece of fruit that was tasteless. In fact, they didn’t taste good at all. Obviously, I was disappointed. Neither one was what I expected it to be. 

I’m not sure what the problem was with the dragon fruit I bought. Were the ones I bought bad? Do they normally have little taste? Is it a problem with how they are harvested and then shipped to the U.S.? When I’ve been in Nicaragua I’ve had pitaya (dragon fruit) gelato and smoothies made with it. And each time it was delicious. But such has not been my experience with the dragon fruit I’ve bought here. Here, I’ve only gotten tasteless dragon fruit. The end result is, I will most likely not be buying any dragon fruit anytime soon, 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of things in life that we bite into that can be quite disappointing—we might say, quite tasteless. Some even leave us with a bad taste! We enter into a relationship, pursue a career, take a job, go on a vacation, pursue a business venture, etc., only to find whatever it is doesn’t live up to our expectations. In the end, we are not only disappointed, but even frustrated, angry, and sometimes hurt. All too often the things of this life don’t live up to our expectations; they turn out to be, we might say, “tasteless.” And again, some might even leave a bad taste in our mouths. 

But there is someone and something that will never disappoint us—that will never turn out to be “tasteless.” The psalmist wrote of his relationship with God, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8 – NIV) And of God’s Word he wrote, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 199:103)  

In other words, when we “bite into” a relationship with God and into his Word, we will never be disappointed. We’ll never come away feeling as if we’ve somehow been let down. We’ll never be left with a bad taste in our mouths. After all, God is always faithful, good, loving, and kind. And, his Word is powerful, bringing to us a revelation of God and insight for this life as nothing else can. 

The invitation stands: “Taste and see that the Lord is good….” If you will, you will experience that which is sweeter and richer than anything this world could ever offer. 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris