You Don’t Know What You’re Missing

I’ve heard that word of mouth is the best advertisement and personal testimony is the most trustworthy and convincing way to get others to try new things. I know it goes a long way for me. When I’m considering a purchase or new restaurant, I want to know what other consumers think. There’s a common saying “You don’t know what you’re missing.” It usually follows a story or description of something the other person is hesitant about trying. It’s a common phrase in our household as I try to convince my kids to try new foods. They make snap judgments based on sight, smell, or even the name of a food and decide they don’t like it. I wouldn’t call myself a health nut but I do try hard to feed my family balanced meals and provide healthy snack options. So I tend to get a little frustrated when they make these judgments about the food I’m trying to get them to try, because not only does it taste good but it also is good for them.
 
I recently experienced this with my four year old. She’s much more open to try new foods than my twelve year old but for some reason she never wanted to try avocados. I’m a huge Mexican food fan so we eat lots of this delicious green fruit in our house. I’d make guacamole or put slices on sandwiches but she’d always say “No Mom, no avocado for me.” despite having never tried them. My reply to her is always “You don’t know what you’re missing.” Just last week my daughter finally decided to find out what she was missing and tried avocados. She took one bite and loved it! Now she goes out of her way to tell me to make sure I give her some avocado.
 
This same phrase has been on my mind a lot lately as it relates to following Christ. Unfortunately, much like my daughter with the avocado, I often find people making snap judgments about Jesus and giving a list of reasons not to give their lives to him. Everywhere I look, I see hurting people. I see people empty, searching to fill a void and filling themselves up with all sorts of things only to find themselves empty again. I see destructive behaviors and damaging decisions and it breaks my heart. Psalm 34:8 says Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
 
I’ve tasted and I’ve seen. I’ve experienced the Lord’s goodness and the blessings of trusting in him, and because of this, I can’t help but tell others about him. I watch people continually settle for a life of defeat and mediocrity under the guise of finding their own way instead of living in victory and with purpose. The great news is as believers in Christ we don’t have to “find our own way;” we have a road map in the Bible and a tour guide in Christ and the reward of following him not only tastes good but it’s good for us in this life and in eternity.
 
So where are you today? Are you rejecting Jesus based on preconceived notions? If so, I can assure you they are misconceptions and I encourage you to step out and try Him. My words to you are the same as they were to my daughter, “You don’t know what you’re missing.” The implications of missing out on Christ are far greater than missing out on trying a new food; they are life changing now and forever. Will you try him?
 
I’m forever thankful that I took a chance to see for myself what this whole Christian thing was about and I pray that those of us who know Christ are bold in sharing Him with a world that desperately needs Him. My challenge to you is to live out your faith by following Him wholeheartedly and being a shining example in a dark world. Let your word of mouth testimony and life example be a strong advertisement for others to see. So that through these things they will take a chance and enter in to a relationship with Christ, the one who can’t be understood until He is experienced. I’m confident that their response will be the same as ours as He shows himself faithful and as they experience the blessings of knowing Him. They will wonder why they didn’t try Him sooner.