Being a little different is a part of who I am, and to be honest, it has never really bothered me. Well, that is except for the fact that I used to hate pizza. Did that blow your mind? If so, you are not alone.
I was the only person in elementary school who wasn’t excited when it was pizza day. When it was lunch time, the cafeteria ladies would fix me something else.
They always said, “Never heard of a kid not liking pizza.” Actually, that phrase was said to me quite often. But nobody ever thought to ask me if I had ever tried eating pizza. If they had, my answer would have been, “No.”
My pizza dislike started at home. When I was a child, we hardly ever went to restaurants. So, when my dad wanted a pizza, my mom made him one at home. The first thing I noticed when she pulled it out of the oven was its horrible smell. That pizza didn’t smell anything like my mamaw’s kitchen, especially when she fried chicken. Plus, it was orange.
One fateful day changed all of that. I was 10 years old and playing on my first softball team. After a game, the coach decided we should all go the Pizza Hut. Naturally, I wanted to go.
My parents said, “But you don’t even like pizza.” While they were right, I was more concerned about being accepted as part of the team. They finally in and gave me some money.
I was full of anticipation as the pizza was sat on our table. How would I pull off not eating any of it? Maybe I can get down just one piece. Then the aroma emanating from it wafted to my nose. It didn’t smell anything like my mom’s. Plus, it wasn’t an orange color. I picked up a piece and took a bite. It tasted nothing as I had imagined. I ate so many pieces we had to order another one.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34:8 (KJV)
I think there are many people who feel about Jesus the same way I used to feel about pizza. They have never really had a taste of His goodness. Some may have never had the opportunity and just went on their perceptions of Him. Plus, I have come across people who had bad experiences at the hand of somebody professing to know Him. That breaks my heart. Once I got the real taste of the Lord’s goodness, my life was never the same. We need share that goodness as often as we can.
We all went back to the ballfield to met up with our parents. As soon as I saw mine, I ran to them. “I ate pizza and I loved it!”
My dad replied, “I’m proud of you for actually trying it.” To which I promptly replied, “Yeah, it didn’t smell like mom’s pizza and it wasn’t orange.”