Dark Chocolate

I think my taste buds are dying. Seriously. Why else would I now prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate? (By the way, whomever decided to put dark chocolate on my favorite candy bar, Reese's, deserves a bonus!) In my opinion, bitter has become better. And it's not a decision I've made because dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate. I prefer dark and will (usually) pass up chocolate if no dark chocolate is available.

I makes me consider other perspectives that have changed as I've aged:

• My strengths can become weaknesses when misused.


• Healthy confrontation is essential for most resolutions.


• I don't deserve respect. I earn it.

What has changed for you?

Dark chocolate may be bitter, but it's also decadent. I wouldn't want to go back and relearn the lessons I've already learned. I'm too busy learning new lessons! The bitter experiences of life have added richness of it. I can't separate the two, because without the bitterness, without the trials of life, the richness wouldn't exist. The two are intertwined just as the experiences of my life blend together to mold me.

Bitterness on its own is less than palatable. But mix it with smooth and creamy, and you have a treat to be savored and appreciated.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. - Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)