"That's Nuts" by Greg Duncan

Last night I headed to the pantry for a late night snack. A can of cashews was the perfect solution, and about three handfuls later, all was well. That’s a toss away moment except for the fact that it was me, eating nuts. Most of my life, I’ve been mentally allergic to nuts. Not physically allergic, where bad stuff happens to your body. More like, highly offended by the mere presence of a nut in any form. Plain nuts, nuts debasing perfectly fine ice cream sundaes, nuts corrupting otherwise scrumptious cookies, nuts masquerading as a sandwich spread with jelly. No nuts allowed.

I couldn’t tell you when or where it happened, but sometime in the last few years, a nut somehow penetrated my anti-nut force field, and it must not have been too bad. My world hasn’t been rocked, but it has expanded a bit. I wasn’t a picky eater, so expansion wasn’t a goal, but it has been a nice surprise.

I’ve had similar evolutionary experiences in my spiritual life, when something new scratched an unknown itch or added an unexpected dimension. One time it was music I didn’t expect to like at a church one of our kids attended during college. I bought the CD. Another time it came in the form of a new devotional blog I happened across when I didn’t have time to add anything else to my schedule. I am still reading it daily three years later. Anybody tried a new form of Sunday morning worship in the last few months?!

These aren’t things that are better than what was already there, nor are they replacements. I haven’t stopped eating Fritos because I discovered party nut mix. It’s not so much about meeting a gaping need or making a major change, as it is about finding delight in variety.

Throughout the Psalms, and elsewhere in the Bible, we are directed to “sing to the Lord a new song.” I don’t think that’s because there’s something wrong with my old song. I think it’s because it’s important to add, to try, to grow, to experience. What might a new song cause me to think about or do differently?

The me of just a few years ago would have gone to bed hungry rather than get near one of those cashews. But for now, it’s getting late. Fortunately, there’s a bag of roasted almonds in my desk drawer.