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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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The Heart’s Delight
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The night was dark. The hour was unthinkable. Neither really mattered. The soft glow of the nightlight silhouetted the infant nursing at my breast. These were the most precious moments of my day. The rhythm of the rocking chair synchronized with the gentle strokes across my infant’s brow. For moments that were all too short and would all too soon be outgrown, every expectation of my "mother heart" was met. My spirit belonged to my child, and it seemed that his belonged to me. Warmth. Joy. Peace. Pleasure. As the dawn saturates every blade of grass with its dew, so my heart was saturated with delight.
Delight has a solitary focus. When my boys were elementary age, they had no appreciation for any culinary skills of mine that wanted to be expressed in a creative array of fruits and nuts and Jell-o, even if topped with Cool Whip. "Just Jell-o, Mom," was a frequent request, and when granted, a simple source of satisfaction. "Just Jeff" was a phrase we often used in reference to our second oldest. There was no "e-r-y" or "r-e-y" to be added to his name. "Just Jeff." That’s what we wanted.
"Just God." That’s what He wants. A solitary focus. A singular source of satisfaction. No added frills. The warmth of His presence. The joy of His presence. The peace. The pleasure of His presence. God -- saturating every fiber of my heart with delight. Nothing else matters. "Just God." That’s what He wants. What do I want?
In our journey to delight in God, all too often we attempt to settle for a substitute. Gary Smalley cautions us against looking for satisfaction in the "4-P’s"– possessions, position, places, or people. None of these provide a lasting or full satisfaction. Possessions can be broken, lost, stolen, burned, or become the debris of disaster. Trophies soon lie in dust. There’s always someone younger, or more talented, or even less costly, to replace me on the fabled "road to success." We claim the need to "just get away," but we can never get away from ourselves. People disappoint. We crave their approval and we demand our expectations. We long for their love, and we experience the bitter sting of their inability to love. God says, "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it" (Psalm 81:10). God says He will not disappoint (Romans 10:11). A solitary focus. A singular source of satisfaction.
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— Bev |
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