I Donโt Even Like Calamari
Taste and See
๐ Psalm 34:8
โTaste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.โ
Tonight I was invited out with friends.
Good friends. The kind you love dearly but donโt get to see nearly enough.
I ordered calamari.
And hereโs the funny partโI actually donโt even like calamari.
Yet somehowโฆ I order it about once a year.
And tonight? It was delicious.
I was the one who ordered it, smiling as if I hadnโt forgotten that technically, itโs not my favorite thing.
But the first bite didnโt just taste like fried squid.
It tasted like Italy.
Like summers at my auntieโs house.
Long tables.
Loud conversations.
Hands moving while stories were told.
Olive oil. Lemon. Laughter echoing off old walls.
Funny how memory can make you crave something your palate alone wouldnโt.
The food was extraordinary.
The whole place was.
But the moment? That was sacred. Sometimes His goodness shows up in breathtaking miracles.
Other times, it shows up in something you donโt even think you likeโ
until it carries you back to love.
Back to belonging.
Back to childhood kitchens in Italy.
Maybe goodness isnโt just about preferences.
Maybe itโs about presence.
๐ง Did You Know?
Shared laughter and meaningful connection increase oxytocin and calm the stress response. Your nervous system relaxes most deeply in safe community. Friendship isnโt just enjoyableโitโs regulating. Healing often happens at dinner tables.
๐ Prayer
Papa God,
Thank You for friends who feel like home.
For memories that season ordinary choices.
For laughter that softens the heart.
Help me taste Your goodnessโeven in things I donโt expect to enjoy.
Amen.
๐ P.S. This devotional was created by Dr. Alex somewhere between โI donโt even like calamariโ and ordering it anywayโbecause sometimes the soul remembers what the palate forgets. ๐ฎ๐นโจ