Delight

*Sigh*. Today I've been lied to. I've been disobeyed. I've been spoken to disrespectfully. I myself have been lazy a time or two. I've snapped at my children; at my husband. It's the end of this day, and yet a word keeps running through my mind over and over . In fact, it has been on my heart for several weeks now.

The word is...delight.

Even as this word is present during difficult moments of my day, I also think of it when my sons are speaking in British accents to each other, or when they call their Ramen Noodles "Robin Hoodles", just to be silly. I think of it when my baby girl gives me a big, open mouthed kiss on my lips. And when my husband makes me laugh with his silly puns.

Delight. Simply defined, it means "Great pleasure. Joy." But I can't imagine why I would think of this word at the most trying times - except that maybe, God would like me to learn something.

Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Now I don't know about you, but I can be so ugly. So un-delightful. (is that a word?) How could the Lord possibly take delight in me? Or rejoice over me with singing? The same way we can rejoice in our children when their character displays strength.

2 years ago, in early December, my husband ran into the store to get some ice cream, and I sat in the car with the boys. We were listening to a Christmas song by Michael W. Smith called "No Eye Had Seen". As the bridge swelled with the words, "Kyrie Eleison, we sing glory to the newborn king, mortal and immortal voices, endless praises echoing", I cried softly in the front seat, my heart rejoicing with the earth as I imagined it must have when the Savior was born.

Corban, sensing something from the backseat, inquired as to my tears. When I could speak, I began to tell them about The Story from the beginning of time. I told them about the garden, about the creation of man for God's pleasure and relationship. The fall, the separation. The deliverance from slavery. The prophets crying out for repentance. The prophecy of His birth, and then the fulfillment of it. The crucifixion. The miraculous resurrection, after the keys of death were taken back from the pit. And then I told them how God had planned everything so that he would no longer be separated from us. The words fell out of my mouth effortlessly, but when I finished, I realized it had taken almost 10 minutes to tell; the children were silent, taking it all in.

When we got home, we bundled inside and started putting things away. After a few minutes, I went looking for Corban, and as I rounded the corner of the hallway to head into his room, I heard his childish, 5 year old voice. He was on his knees, by the side of his bed, speaking the most beautiful prayer of gratitude I have ever heard. As I leaned against the wall and breathed my own prayer of thanks for an opportunity I hadn't even been looking for, I felt the delight of the Father in His children. As much as we delight in our sinful flesh and blood children, how much more does the Father delight in us when we are faithful?

Those days when I've fished something out of the toilet for the umpteenth time; when I've been disobeyed, when I have failed miserably to be faithful; I'm so thankful for the chance to make myself delightful again. And I need to remind myself to delight in my children, just as I must train them to be delightful in character.

Delight. Great pleasure. Joy. Oh, to bring those things to the Father! Help me be delightful, Lord. In everything I do.