Delight

Delight

The LORD your God . . . will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

MY DAUGHTER WALKED into the kitchen and sat down at the center island, a defeated look on her face. She had just had dance tryouts and she was nervous. She wondered if she could have done better and was assessing all of her actions, correcting herself on things she thought she should have done differently.

I listened to her for a few minutes before I placed my hand over hers and said, “Honey, please stop. You need to know that I am so proud of you.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m serious. Whether you did well or not, I could never be more proud of the person that you are than I already am. You bring me great joy.” She gave me a sheepish grin as I hugged her close and told her I loved her before smothering her in kisses as she giggled.

Later that day I was thinking about how the way God must feel about us is similar to the way that I feel about my daughter. He delights in us. Just as we are. There is no need to perform or have a long list of presumed accomplishments. He values us, simply because we are human. Made in his image.

I sat down at my kitchen counter and took a moment to imagine how, just as I did with my daughter, he would cup my face in his hands, a smile on his own face, and tell me how much he loves me with a love that calms all my fears. How proud he is of me. And even rejoices over me in song. But this truth isn’t just for me. This is how he feels about each one of us. God’s heart is one of a delighted Father toward all of his children. Not one of us is left out or overlooked.

Lord, help us today to experience and accept your love for us. Help us to see how much you delight in us as your children. Thank you for being such a good Father. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Take time to just sit and imagine God as your loving Father. What would he say to you? What things would he be delighted by in you? What fears would his love calm?