With the recent chill in the air (well, at least in the mornings), I have flung into full-on fall mode. Call me “basic”, but I’m pulling out the cozy throws, baking bread, and “decorating with food” as my husband calls it (i.e. putting pumpkins out & about).
I’m also in full-throttle pumpkin flavor mode. Pumpkin pancakes and cookies have been made more than once this week. I also discovered the Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew. Oh. My. Word. If you haven’t tried it and you like pumpkin things but the PSL is too much for you, you’ve got to try it. It’s delicious, and as an added bonus it’s aesthetically pleasing.
It’s also $4.25 + tax for a tall.
So, yesterday I turned my kitchen into a mini version of “America’s Test Kitchen” and attempted to make my own. And then I attempted again. And then I attempted again. With the amount of supplies I’ve wasted today trying to make the perfect (albeit lower-calorie) version, I’m sure I could have purchased multiple of the real thing.
Don’t get me wrong, my versions aren’t bad. In fact, all of the ones I’ve sipped I liked just fine, but there was no fooling myself into believing it was the actual pumpkin cream cold brew. I know what the original tastes like, and shortcut imitations just don’t cut it.
And that’s when I started thinking, “That’s what my relationship with God should be like.” I should never be content with substitutes for time with God and His Word. While podcasts, blogs, and devotionals are great tools, they’re nothing compared to the actual, life-changing words of God in Scripture.
In Psalm 119:103, the psalmist writes,
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
God’s Word is better than the words of your favorite Christian speaker. His Words are better than those in your C.S. Lewis or A.W. Tozer book. His Words are FAR better than any words on social media.
So today, let’s aim to crave the real thing. Let’s not settle for less-expensive substitutes. Let’s spend time, even if just a few minutes, reading the actual words of God. His words never return void (Isa. 55:11). And you know what will happen? Day after day of reading your Bible, you’ll want it more and more. The more you taste, the more you’ll want. And when you realize how life-giving Scripture is, you won’t even attempt to mask it with a substitution.
Now, if only I could use the “not settling for substitutions” argument to justify my pumpkin cream cold brew addiction & budget…
Katie Emmanuel 