SUMMER PSALMS | FOR DELIGHT
My neighbor shared a grocery bag filled with home garden-grown veggies weighted down with the largest zucchini I have ever seen. So big, it seemed sure to keep multiplying if I cut it to sauté for dinner! This zucchini was gourd-eous and extra special, so it definitely deserved a cooking plan bigger than just a weeknight side dish. Instantly I knew — Life-size Veggie Tales Zoey the zucchini (if they had such a character) was the perfect ingredient for none other than Mom’s chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe. And perfect it was. We baked eight loaves! I love how one veggie served multiple friends and neighbors — including the one who gave us the zucchini in the first place!
This zucchini gave me some food for thought too. Perhaps making and sharing zucchini bread gives us a tiny glimpse of delighting in the Lord. I started thinking about how zucchini is a multiplier. One veggie served multiple families with a summer treat, and it also sparked community. When I read Psalms 37, I realized how delighting in the Lord is a multiplier of His Gospel too. He delights in us delighting in Him. When we come to Him, He fills us with exactly what we need to share with others. He provides even in ways we don’t expect, like a jumbo garden zucchini. From His abundance, we share out of overflow — multiplied grace, generosity, kindness, hospitality, joy, love. And in this posture of delight, we may see this more and more: the desires of our heart are being answered and shaped to become more like Him.
You know what’s really fun about sharing a treat with a friend or a neighbor? If they love it, they might ask for the recipe. And then? They’ll make their own batch to share with their friends and family too! The joy of sharing something good multiplies. If recipes can do that, how much more can God’s Word do that too? God sends it out, and it prospers where He sends it (Isaiah 55:11). As we bake treats and send them out, may we be multipliers of the Gospel too. You know, good conversations often start with good food. Delight multiplies. May it be so.
