The Mr. ran inside with a wild look in his eyes. “Look! Look! What we can get!” he exclaimed. He whipped his phone around and I saw a picture with a couple of tubs and some chip packages. My lackluster response prompted him to explain.
“You know how the Masters food is legendary,” my look remained blank so he backed up. “At the Masters (a big golf tournament) they started a tradition many years ago. They didn’t wan’t people to worry about the cost of the food so it is super cheap—like $2 a sandwich. After covid, they started doing a thing where you can buy ‘The Taste of the Masters’ or an at home kit that lets you have the same egg salad, pimento cheese or pork BBQ sandwich. We can do this, have friends over and it almost like we would be at the Masters,” he finished nearly breathless.
So, that is how on Wednesday, the Mr. along with many of his friends, did an unboxing video of three tubs of food, some chips, cookies, popcorn, wax paper, toothpicks with the Masters flag on them and most importantly, the 2025 plastic cups.
As we sat and watched the tournament the guys would say in reverent tones, “I’ve heard the course is almost like heaven.” The one in the room who has been would confirm everything they had heard and add, “it’s like nothing you can imagine.” They wrapped their sandwiches in the branded wax paper and lived the excitement through the screen.
Yes, the Taste of the Masters package was fun. Yes it added to the experience, but as we all cheered amazing chips and groaned over missed puts, all I could think of is how this was just a shadow of what it really would have been like if we were actually there.
We have now fully entered into Holy Week and the parallels were not lost on me. How many times are we living with just the Taste of the Master as opposed to the real thing?
What?
How many times do you say, “I am just so stressed. I am afraid. I can’t do this because I know I will fail?” How about, “My life is over, I just found out…?”
Sometimes I wonder if we are leaving Jesus in the grave. What? We read his words of comfort, we view him as a great teacher, we read his parables and use them to help us be better people in general but we fail to tap into His Power—His Power to actually change ourselves and our situations.
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:19
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Eph 1:18-21
Let’s park here for a moment. God’s heart is for you to KNOW the hope to which He has called you. That’s not “know about” but rather to KNOW—to have first hand experiences to daily interact with it, for it to BE a part of your being.
His desire is for you to KNOW the incomparably great power for us who believe. That is HIS power—His power that raised Christ from the dead. His power that can calm storms, shut up demons and cause everything on earth to be subject to Him.
So, how does this happen?
- Be in His Presence. Daily read His Word and then spend time talking with Him and creating a quiet space where He can start talking to you. An egg salad sandwich at home is just a sandwich and can’t compare to one enjoyed on Holly (the 18th hole at Augusta National).
- Create space throughout the day for the Lord. A teacher once told me how he invites the Lord into every decision. He needed a new fan so while he was in the fan aisle, he just asked the Lord, “Thank you for showing me the fan that I need.” He did this for everything and trained his brain to include the Lord in his life 24/7.
- Start tapping into His authority to quell the enemy’s presence in your thoughts. This is a daily practice. More here.
- Exercise His power over your situations. More here.
We don’t have to be satisfied by simply having a substitute for the real thing in our Life with Christ. He doesn’t call us to just enjoy a taste, He invites us to have the real deal. In this Holy Week, who is ready to not just have a taste, but instead have it all?
