The Best Kind Of Taco

I really love tacos. If I had to list my main love languages, Mexican food would be on the top of the list.

And I’ve found that the best tacos are found at the most unassuming, “hole-in-the-wall,” rundown shops. You’re not going to find some amazing adobada street tacos at a bougie sit-down restaurant. The best of the best will be at the random food truck downtown or the corner shop with two tables and dingy lighting. From the outside, that taco shop might not seem ideal, but inside you’ll find everything you’ve ever wanted. (I’m hungry now just thinking about it. You better get some tacos for dinner tonight!) In Genesis 1, God makes some good tacos… stick with me, the metaphor will make sense eventually.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

- Genesis 1:31

God made land and sea and animals and you and me and called us good. The Creator of the Universe, who painted the sunsets over the Pacific and dazzled the sky with the milky way and knitted together the intricate features of each creature, looks at you and looks at me and says, “Wow. That is good. That is BLESSED.”

I have noticed that when I teach the creation story to my teenage students, they have so many questions about the fall of Man. Why did Adam and Eve eat the apple? Was the serpent right? Why did God let everything get messed up? We are so fascinated by our brokenness. So determined to right the wrong, to over-achieve past our weaknesses. But rarely do we meditate on the beauty in Genesis 1, before the fall. Rarely do we sit in awe before God and recognize, “You say I am good? I am good. I am blessed. I am yours.”

We are like those taco shops. Dirty on the outside, with grungy flooring and chipping paint. We are convinced that no one would ever dare go inside because of how unappealing we look. But inside, God says, we’ve got some GOOD tacos. Because He made us. Because we are blessed. And because nothing could ever change that.

No amount of weakness or hurt or pain could stop God from calling us good.

Would you stop believing the lies of this world? Would you believe that even you, the “hole-in-the wall”, rundown, not good enough taco shop, might contain some of the greatest things God has ever made?

Maybe my Mexican food metaphor is breaking down, but don’t let it stop you from hearing this truth:

The world is lying to you. Satan is lying to you. You are lying to you.

You are not too far gone. You are not unwanted. You are not your mistakes. You are not alone. You are not a failure. You are not unloved.

You are chosen (1 Peter 2:9). You are loved (John 3:16). You are wanted (John 15:16). There are good plans in store for you (Jeremiah 29:11). No mistake will change your status as an adopted child (2 Corinthians 6:8). You are blessed. You are blessed. You are blessed (Genesis 1:31).

You are one dang good taco. Would you stop listening to the lies of the world, telling you to judge the outside? Would you believe Jesus? Would you believe that He created something amazing in you, and He has more in store for you?

Let’s live blessed this week. Let’s confront the lies. Let’s believe our God. There is more for you, you just have to choose to notice the blessings.

Cristina Schmitter

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