Little kids are the best! As I looked out my kitchen
window this past weekend, I could see mine climbing to the top of the trellis in our back yard, no
thought whatsoever to the 6+ foot high drop that they would have if they fell.
They had their sights set on the last of the bright red crab apples that
they could only reach from the very top of the trellis.
And that’s just like them.
Whether it’s rolling out the entire roll of toilet paper
just to see how far it goes
Or squishing their fingers into the margarine
Hiding the van keys in the peanut butter jar for a joke
Or coloring beautiful “paintings” on their bedroom walls
If it’s rubbing sand into each other’s hair at the
playground
Or eating an entire tube of berry scented lip chap because
it “tastes sooo good Mommy”
If they are building forts with the entire contents of
their dresser
Digging up real flowers at other people’s houses when we
go visiting
Pushing noodles up into their noses because they feel so
soft
Or even splashing in the gross toilet water…
Everything they do, the do for the pure pleasure of it.
Am I like that? Do I delight? Most of the time I think I
just push through, goal to goal, meal to meal, nap to bed time. There’s plenty
to do and get done and it’s easy to forget about the joy in it all. Thinks
like…
The rich, sweet smell of the tomatoes that I spent ages
slicing and processing.
The soft, kissable feel of baby cheeks.
The way the moonlight filters through my bedroom
curtains.
The numb tingling of fingertips on crisp fall mornings.
The creaking of a well-used home.
The power of an onion to make you cry.
The cold dew on the back yard grass.
The delicious aroma of coffee drip, drip, dripping into
the pot.
The funny wiggling of a bunny’s nose.
The iridescent shimmer of bubbles in the kitchen sink.
The many cheerful colors and patterns in a load of
children’s laundry.
There are so many simple, beautiful things once you start
looking for them.
But why look for them? Why do I make an effort to spend
my days counting up joys and blessings? Because, I believe that every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above (John 1:17) and that each of these things
is a tiny reflection of God’s glory. When I breathe deeply of fresh tomatoes or
taste a perfect steak or snuggle with one of my kids, I am amazed at how
beautiful God is.
When Josh and I were driving through the mountains on our
“second honeymoon” trip, we were talking about how breathtaking they (the
mountains) are and how they make you want to cry. I said, “Do you think
everyone feels that way or is it just us?” And Josh so profoundly said, “I
think they stir something in everyone, because they are a little bit of glory.”
A little bit of glory. A little bit of delight. Imagine,
if the sight of a mountain can move you to tears, how great and exulting will
be the delight we have when we see Christ! How breathtaking must He be to
create such beautiful things that pale in comparison to Himself.
So, when we delight daily in Christ, in His creativity
and design, in His people and His word, we are just like the kids on the
trellis. We are living in a constant pursuit of pleasure, only our pleasure and
delight are in God.
What do you have to delight in today?
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