It is not difficult to interest others in chocolate. If I were offering free samples of chocolate treats, many would accept them gladly and consume them quickly. I told Ed of Barry Callebaut's report about unveiling a brand-new variety of chocolate now developed after 80 years. We have not only dark, white, and milk chocolate but also now ruby chocolate. Presently, ruby chocolate is not available for public consumption, but no doubt, when it is available, it will be as popular as the other types of chocolate.
Cacao or cocoa beans/seeds are ancient history. The trees grew in the Amazon rainforest and then elsewhere. These seeds were ground up and used as a flavouring for drinks 5,300 years ago in equatorial South America and then introduced to Central America slightly later. The Spanish were quick to recognize the treasure of cocoa/chocolate.
What we see as good and valuable about chocolate remains a blessing from ancient times. There are many quotes about chocolate. I like this quote: “As long as there is chocolate, there will be happiness.” (W.G. Trotman).
Often today, what is from the past is rejected or resisted as no longer valuable or relevant. Canadian writer Margaret Atwell states that we can only find our own meaning in our own time. I would disagree that our own meaning and our own time are not all there is to know. Our present existence comes in some measure from the past. What is meaningful to us must reflect a caution regarding the future. Our meaning and times are only specks in the sweep of time. Every generation suffers from the arrogance of believing they are wiser than those who lived before them.
Presently, in our more secular mindset, many dismiss the Bible as ancient words that are not valuable or relevant today. Yet the Bible continues to be the best-selling book of all time, having sold five billion copies to date. It is also now the most translated book in human history. As a best-seller, the Bible certainly challenges its readers to be focused on more than themselves and their times.
The Bible makes distinctive truth claims; God exists, God communicates with us through His creation, our moral conscience, and the Bible. The heart and centre of the Bible are Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. The Bible was written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that we may have life in his name by believing in Him.
For those doubters who question whether God exists or that Jesus is the Son of God, they may need more than quotes from the Bible saying that the Bible is trustworthy. Suppose one wants the truth about the Bible. In that case, one will find that it is a reliable document with manuscripts proving its accuracy, backed up by the findings of archeology and secular writings confirming Biblical accounts.
For those who believe the Bible, it is holy words that resound from God's own heart. They are words of hope and life, giving us the strength to cope. The Bible is ancient words ever true, words of our faith that have come to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Paraphrase of Ancient Words by Michael Smith)
