The Taste of Cotton Balls

In a kindergarten classroom, a science experiment can be as simple as handing out a few cotton balls.

Not so simple is trying to hold the attention of a room full of 5-year-olds after those cotton balls have been passed out. I saw my mistake just as a flurry of white orbs flew through the air.

Me:  “If you want to keep your cotton ball, hide it in your hands.”

Child #1 swan dives to cover his cotton ball. 

Child #2 twirls as she continues to toss, watching the dwindling snowstorm with dizzy eyes.

Child #3 chants in a sing-song voice, “Cuh – Cuh – cat … Cuh – Cuh – cotton!”

Meanwhile, I temporarily confiscate cotton balls until the room comes back to order. At least I can say that I taught the letter “C” successfully. We’ve got that covered.

It took me awhile to rein my students in and turn their focus toward the five senses. Stopping to point at eyes, ears, mouths, noses, and fingers, we talked about using our senses to discover more about an object.

I was supposed to be teaching about texture, so I asked:

“Which one of your five senses can tell you the most about the cotton ball?”

“TASTE!” one kid shouted with exuberance.

While not exactly wrong, it wasn’t the answer I expected. (Since switching from 4th grade to kindergarten, MOST things have turned my expectations upside down.)

I’d rather not be sued, so I didn’t let them taste the cotton balls. The prospect is interesting, though. Tasting often reveals the true nature of a thing faster than any other sense.

Human eyes can lie. Have you ever been drawn to a beautiful plate of food only to take a bite and put your fork down in disappointment? Ears can deceive as well. (Just consider the language in a 30-second advertisement, and you’ll find this to be true.) But I know immediately after putting something in my mouth whether it is “good” or not.

Kindergarten is teaching me something of what Jesus meant when He told us to “become like children” (Matthew 18:3), because kindergarteners are great at cutting through to the heart of things.

Here’s an excerpt from my conversation with a five-year-old little girl just last week:

*Sally:  Hey teacher?

Me:  (smiling) What’s my name?

*Sally:  Mrs. Chapman?

Me:  Yes, what’s going on?

*Sally:  Me and *Susie were just talking about if you like us or not.

Me:  Of course I like you sweetheart!

*Sally:  I knew you like us! That’s what I told her!

She bounced away with a bright smile on her face, and I stood there for a minute thinking, “If only we were all so willing to ask outright … and so accepting of the truth when the answer comes.”

When it comes to the things of God, “tasting” requires that we come with an open and unjaded heart (or that we are at least willing to place a hardened heart in the hands of the Master Potter.)

Too many times, our spiritual mouths have long been clamped shut. Like a person on the brink of death and no longer willing to take in the sustenance that is needed for life, we refuse to “open up.”

Still, our God beckons us to simply TASTE!:

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!–Psalms 34:8 NLT

We miss out when we allow fear or the bitter residue left by past disappointment to keep us from coming to God with all the eagerness of a child.

An open and trusting heart makes all the difference. Being willing to relish the goodness of God makes the rest of our senses more reliable. 

We can see the hand of God moving, even in the middle of challenging circumstances. We can listen and discern the truth, because we have tasted of God’s character and know that He is always only good.

How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.–Psalms 119:103‭-‬104 NLT

The finest cuisine is wasted if you never open your mouth. So, open wide! You’ll find that God is undeniably good. His peace is sweet. God’s joy is a delight, and His ways–His commands–are exactly what our tastebuds need.