You Gotta Try This

Have you ever been to Sam’s Club or Publix just to grab a snack from the little ladies handing out food samples? I know I have. I’ll grab an empty shopping cart and stick some ambiguous item in the basket just to give me an excuse to circle around them 2 or 3 times. Like I’m going to buy plantains! What? I just love those little white-haired ladies and their tooth-pick skewered, delectable delicacies. After all, do you know a better way to get people to buy your product? I’ll admit that I have been walking directly toward Chick-fil-A and pulled a 180 when the little guy handed me a bite of Bourbon Chicken. When your product is good, you don’t mind sharing a little bit here and there. Let the sample speak for its self. If you really believe in it, you’ll know that a taste will never be enough. It just leaves them wanting more.

We humans love to share our experiences. It’s like the experience just isn’t the same unless you have someone you can share it with. “Here, you’ve gotta try this. It’s the best pie you’ve ever put in your mouth.” Or have you ever done this? “Here taste this, isn’t that disgusting or what?” And we do it! Good or bad, if someone offers us a taste, we’ll try it, most of the time.

Here’s the thing, the sample sells. It's the most honest form of advertisement that there is. You can't hide behind flashy packaging if the sample tastes nasty. And your packaging can be dull and boring, but if the sample is good enough, it will still sell.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been blessed beyond measure. My life has been jam packed with the goodness, the grace, the forgiveness, the faithfulness, the joy, and the love of God. But am I keeping it all to myself? Every time I come into contact with someone they should walk away with a sample of what I have. I should be passing out bite-sized samples of goodness, grace, forgiveness, joy, and love all the time. But is that what I’m doing?

The fact is, whether you want to admit it or not, this is exactly what happens all the time. No matter what, every time you encounter another human being you pass a sample of yourself over and walk away. Honest. Now, the question is, what are you giving away? Are you giving away rich, flavorful tastes of Heaven, or bland, tasteless, rotten attitude? Face it, you’re going to share yourself with someone and they are definitely going to taste it. Let’s make sure we keep plenty of the good stuff on hand, shall we? And it better be real, too, because you can't fake a sample.

Psalm 34:8
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

And if you ever want the best cheeseburger in Nashville, be sure to visit Rotier’s on Elliston Place.