I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to new foods and drinks. I’ll try anything once. Living overseas, I’ve eaten many unusual foods—most tastes I’ve enjoyed, and some not so much. So a couple of weeks ago, when some girlfriends wanted to buy me a Boba Tea, I agreed to give it a chance. We were in California, and it seemed like a very chic Californian-type experience.

Here’s a brief run-down if you aren’t familiar with Boba tea. Boba tea was invented in the 1980s in Taiwan and appeared on the West Coast in the 1990s. The essential ingredients of Boba tea are black tea, milk, sugar, ice, and chewy tapioca pearls. Boba tea has several names, including bubble tea and pearl milk tea. It is usually called bubble tea on the East Coast, and on the West Coast, people call it boba tea.

So my friends and I strolled over to the mall to experience boba tea.

The menu was overwhelming, and I wasn’t sure where to start. But everyone else decided to try the brown sugar boba. Since I’ve often snuck a taste of brown sugar when baking, I decided to go along with the crowd. Plus, the picture of the tea made my mouth water.

I picked up my drink, thinking it looked too beautiful to drink. Jumping all in, I took a deep breath, then took a big sip through the straw. My eyes bulged as 5 or 6 of the tapioca balls shot up the straw and into my mouth. What do you do—swallow them whole, chew them, or spit them out? My first reaction was to send them shooting back down the straw. I’d forgotten to ask the appropriate etiquette for slurping boba tea.

I chose to chew.

Several impressions shot through my mind. First, the bubble burst. Literally. What can I compare it to – chewing bubble wrap was my first thought. It reminded me of my first taste of caviar and the shock of having those little fish eggs pop in between my teeth. But then the pearl turned into a gelatinous mass, sort of like a semi-melted gummy bear. My discomfort showed on my face as my friends started laughing.

I needed to give it another chance. So I delicately sipped this time, and only one pearl came up the straw. I continued to sip my drink and enjoyed watching the pearls on their journey up the straw. The drink tasted great but was extremely sweet. I felt a huge buzz and realized sleep would be slow coming that evening.

I confess I’m not always brave about trying new experiences outside of the food and drink arena. My first inclination is to say no. Then, after the idea rolls around in my brain for a few days, I’m often ready to say yes. Except when experience involves heights or jumping from an airplane and expecting a piece of fabric to keep me from plunging to my death. An emphatic NO will always be the reply to that suggestion.

But I’ve discovered that when God suggests I try something new, I’m better off if I immediately say yes. Too often, when God introduces a new experience in my life that requires a step of faith, I hesitate. Being frightened of the unknown or worried about what others will think has held me back.

Yet, God has always been there when I’ve stepped out in faith. He has supported me, and often those experiences have changed my outlook. But it required faith – God rarely shows us what lies ahead. Once I took that first step of faith, God generously provided for my needs and guided me along the new path. 

When God called my family to move overseas to minister in Russia and the Balkans, I remember one of my first thoughts was, “We’re not prepared. We need more theological training – maybe another Systematic Theology course.” Years later, we lived in a village of reindeer herders on the Kamchatka peninsula. One day, while helping my husband butcher a reindeer, I chuckled, remembering my fears of not being prepared for cross-cultural ministry. It appeared that God had uniquely prepared us for this experience in a way that didn’t just involve seminary training.

We’d grown up in Alaska and had knowledge and experience with harsh cold, long dark winter nights, isolation from family, lack of running water and indoor plumbing, and yes, how to butcher a reindeer. God, in His wisdom, prepared us with the specific giftings we would need on the mission field. 

Many years ago, I heard a quote that has challenged me each time God opens the door to a new experience.

“Are you willing to courageously follow your loving Father into the breathtaking space of an open door?” 

I can assure you following God’s leading into a new experience is breathtaking, and He will be with you each step of the way.

As far as my boba tea experience, I enjoyed being with my friends and experiencing boba tea. I’ll give it at least another chance or two. People have told me you need to try different flavors until you discover your perfect concoction of flavors. I read about a salty cheese boba – black tea boba topped with a foamy layer of salted cream cheese.

I wonder if a side of bacon-flavored tapioca pearls comes with it?