One who is full loathes honey,
    but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.-Proverbs 27:7
     When I get together with people drinking coffee, it is always interesting to see what people put in theirs. Maybe they like it really sweet or with lots of cream. Maybe just a little or somewhere in the middle. Then there are folks like me who don't want anything but coffee in their coffee. My wife and so many others always comment on how bitter and unpleasant black coffee seems. But I contend that if your palate is trained to taste just the coffee, you start to see it as good.
     I worked at Starbucks my first year of seminary. I did not like coffee. I just needed a job and it seemed like a good deal. Each shift I worked I was supposed to (and I did most of them) make a French Press of a particular coffee and then sample it and record what I noticed, liked and disliked about it. At first, they were all just different flavors of dirt. This one was a stronger dirt than that one. But over time a subtle shift began to happen. The coffee didn't change, I did. My perspective, enjoyment, evaluation and consumption all began to be transformed. This was no longer just hot, bitter, dirty water. I could begin to find things I liked about certain coffees. I began to drink it sometimes at work and eventually at home. This didn't happen over night. It took repeated exposure and thoughtful contemplation. But I didn't just make up my mind to start liking it. The change happened to my taste buds  What had changed was what I thought tasted "good".
     I truly believe that this growth also occurs for those that follow Jesus. When we are new believers we only see "blessing" (financial, familial or otherwise) as good. As we grow and our knowledge of God is more real and deep, we began to see life through His eyes. We learn that He has promised to only do good to those that belong to Jesus. This doesn't mean that bad stuff doesn't happen. It means that in the faithfulness and power of God even the worst, most bitter things in life are used for our good. Our character is developed as well as our trust and dependence on Christ. We no longer need just the sugary sweet life all the time. We can now embrace the joys and refining goodness of darkness and loss. This does not mean that we look for difficulty but we certainly are not to avoid that or suffering either. The verse that I mentioned at the beginning is full of amazing truth about how what we are full of changes what we hunger for and enjoy. In the ancient world, honey was an amazing and precious thing. If you wanted sweetness that was your primary source for it. And when you are full, it's not that you don't just say "no thanks". The verse says that you loathe the sweetness. But the opposite is true too. When we are hungry even bitter things seem sweet. This is exactly what God wants to grow in all of us. I need this truth now as much as I did when I first started drinking coffee or having kids or struggling in ministry. When we are truly hungry for God and so thankful for all that He gives us, we can rightly understand the hard things that we have to persevere through. We can find joy in the face of sorrow or harsh treatment for God is our joy and our portion forever.
So as you encounter difficulty or bitter things, remember that God is seeking to create a new taste for Himself in you. For if He is sweet and good to you, you will not need the temporary sweetness of this life. When you do get them you will be thankful but not make it an idol. I hope that you find greater hunger for God and His grace each and every day. I hope that for me too.