Soul Candy | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Soul Candy | Previous Challenge Entry
By Hiram Claudio
05/04/16
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It’s incredible how many of life’s experiences, the ordinary and the extraordinary, are measured in terms of their … sweetness!

From our sense of taste, we talk often about having a sweet tooth or a leaning towards sugary types of things. Other times, we measure a person who is giving, complimentary and very kind towards us as being very sweet. And our culture, often overly obsessed with the physical, can label attractive men and women as ‘eye candy’, drawing the comparison between visual stimulation and sensations that accompany one’s favorite confection.

I believe this reveals a common need for sweet within us that goes beyond these external examples. Could it be we have a type of craving or longing deep within that, when satisfied, can only be described in terms of the sweetness it brings?

For me, that’s where Soul Candy comes in. You see, commercial candy provides instant sweet sensations to our mouths. The beauty of a country meadow can bring a satisfaction to our minds that can place us in a mood that can sometimes be described as … sweet. And many know the fulfillment of a romantic relationship that brings a love to one’s heart that, when we try to explain to others, is often measured by its sweetness.

But beyond the eyes, mind and heart, I’ve discovered a satisfaction available to the soul that can provide a sweetness that can govern our entire lives. It can impact our deepest recesses in ways simply not possible by an attractive man or woman, nature’s beauty or even chocolate.

Soul Candy … the bringing of a sweet sensation to our very being that allows us to remain focused when the storms of life arise. It helps us respond to painful situations in ways that increase our commitment to the goodness in life rather than see us become jaded or bitter. It can also provide a stillness that centers us when we find ourselves surrounded by seas of ever increasing anxiety and stress. We still experience the not so pleasant areas of life. But we do so differently, as if a new sense has been grafted into us. It’s not a mask that we put on for others but a genuine manner or way of being that is maintained when deep and unexpected struggles engulf our days.

This Soul Candy sounds pretty awesome! Where can one get some?

“The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:9-10 NIV).

More precious than gold! Sweeter than honey! What an amazing promise … that our walk with the Lord, while providing power to conquer all, also gives us a grace that helps us to endure and remain firm; and is described in terms of its … sweetness!

When we think of a healthy respect for the Lord, and for his directions (decrees), we often think of His words as powerful, majestic and adoring (rightly so). But they are also sweetness for our souls in ways that helps us remain peaceful through fiery furnaces and dens filled with lions. Following His commands, especially over time, should not leave a disposition that is stern or void of anything resembling joy. Following Jesus is supposed to bring a sort of sweetness that, when permitted to touch our deepest parts, can sustain us through all difficult seasons of life. And this sustaining is not only an ability to simply endure or survive, but one where we stand tall and joyfully thrive through any adversity.

The blessing of His presence, and of being with His people, is stamped with the label of sweet throughout scripture. Saints throughout time have written about the pleasure of His touch, using vocabulary that is often used to describe candy. And His word offers each of us the challenge to “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 38:4 NIV).

I’m grateful for this heavenly sugar substitute in my life, a lasting satisfaction to the sweet longings that can become anchored in my soul. How about you? Craving something sweet today? Maybe you’ve needed something for a long time.

Come to Jesus … taste and see!

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