How Do You Smell?

       I will be the first to admit that I’m somewhat of a ‘smell junkie.’  I am truly addicted to smells.  Almost nightly, I indulge in an ultra fragrant bubble bath courtesy of Bath & Body Works.  My home smells of either vanilla cupcakes or Macintosh apples thanks to frequent trips to Yankee Candle.  And I don’t ever leave my house without a quick spritz of my favorite perfume.

        Not only am I addicted to certain scents but I like to think that my sense of smell is quite discerning.  I can pick up on the smallest scent that most people don’t.  Strangely enough, this seems to be an inherited trait.  My dad and grandmother are and were the same way.  (As you can imagine this particular quality of mine can have its disadvantages.  For example… Macon in a very rainy July, a VW Rabbit convertible with no air conditioning and a foreign exchange student with different hygiene standards.) 

        Anyway, not only are smells important to me but even the smallest whiff of a particular scent can transport me to a certain time and invoke a memory.  For instance…Jergen’s body lotion brings to mind my sweet Nanny’s soft hands in the kitchen during summers of my childhood.  The sweet powdery scent of Love’s Baby Soft… well, that takes me back to the 7^th grade at Rosa Taylor Elementary.  And the combination of Polo from the green bottle and Big Red chewing gum- my first real kiss.  I’m sure that many of you are the same way about certain smells, and I’m also sure that you’re wondering where I’m going with this.

        Well, did you know that God has a sense of smell too…and that He also has His preferences?  I read this verse the other morning from 2 Cor. 2:15 “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”  Let me read that first part again…”For we are to God the fragrance of Christ…”  Wow!  To God, I smell like His Son.  What an amazing thought!

        Ok, stay with me for a minute…when my boys were babies and freshly bathed, they were slathered in good ‘ole Johnson & Johnson.  They smelled so good I could just eat them up.  Now, when I hold a newborn baby that smells of the stuff….Mmmmm!  It does my heart good.  I hug that tiny body a little bit closer and inhale as deeply as possible with my eyes closed.  For just a moment, I remember that fresh, new mother love.  I’m not saying that I don’t love them as much now that they don’t smell as sweet.  I’m just saying it’s a small reminder of all of the goodness and possibility in them.  It is quite refreshing.  I can’t help but wonder if that’s what my Heavenly Father thinks of me. 

        While I am still in awe that God says that I am the fragrance of Christ, I also wonder what else smells good to the Lord…  When I read about the children of Israel in the book of Leviticus, I see in several places where instructions were given regarding the different types of sacrifices.  I also read that those sacrifices are a “sweet aroma before the Lord.”  While those kinds of sacrifices aren’t necessary anymore due to the ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, is there anything we can offer to the Lord that has that same “sweet aroma?”  Absolutely!  In Psalm 141:2 David wrote, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”  Towards the end of Rev. 5:8 we see these words…”…and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”  In other words, it is our prayers that please the Lord.  That’s what smells good to Him.  So I’ll pose the question again- How do you smell?  Like the altar of incense, are your prayers to the Lord continually being lifted?  Could they be like my morning spritz of perfume as I’m hurriedly walking out the door?  Or are they like the smell of Saturday morning cleaning…once a week but oh so powerful?  Again-How do you smell?

Are you cut off or being pruned?

                To me, the very novice landscaper, those terms mean exactly the same thing.  I remember a few years ago the first and only time I was allowed to use a yard tool- the hedge trimmers. 

                My mission: the side yard.

                I was supposed to gently prune the shrubs into shape.  The yaupons, compacta holly, Indian Hawthorn, and gardenia lined up before me like rows of green sheep ready to be shorn.  I was a bit daunted by the task but like most new things I encounter, I was up for the challenge.

                I eagerly approached that first little yaupon.  It was so round and compact, close to the ground like a bushy green afro.  With trimmers in hand, I imitated the motion I had been instructed to use- kind of a gentle sweeping arc over the top.

                In theory, I’m sure that would have worked with an experienced user at the helm.  However, when those ravenous, little trimmer teeth grabbed a hold of the branches, millions of shredded leaves and bits of twig went flying everywhere.  Then I understood the allure of the power tool.  What instant gratification!  And I have to say, “What a rush!”  Instantly, the yaupon was transformed.  Was it for the better? No, probably not.  Anyhow, I finished off that one and moved on.  Zealously, I encountered the next one… several ninja-style sweeping arcs later- another “masterpiece”.  I was thrilled!  In fact, I was able to move through that side bed leaving waves of green in my wake in a third of the time it would/should take an experienced landscaper.  I was so proud of my work.

                However, the part owner of the yard and tool was not.  I was proudly surveying all my handiwork when I heard a gasp from behind me.  “OH MY GOSH JENN!  WHAT IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU DONE?!?  YOU HAVE KILLED ALL OF OUR SHRUBS!!!”  I’m sure you can imagine my surprise at this reaction.  Then I received a heated, fervent discussion on the evils of cutting back too much.  In other words, what I did must not have been pruning and probably just killed hundreds of dollars worth of perfectly good shrubs.

                Admittedly, that summer the side yard was not the crown jewel of the neighborhood.  It was truly an eyesore.  Ugly, little misshapen blobs of green… A few months later, the shrubs looked a tad bit better but still a little off.

                Well, fast forward to the next summer…  Guess what!  The shrubs needed pruning again.  In fact, you couldn’t even tell that any butchering had ever occurred.  In my opinion and the opinion of a few supportive friends, they even looked healthier than years past.

                Hmm… I’m not a master gardener by any means but could this example of my pruning parallel the 2^nd verse in chapter 15 in the book of John?  This is where we find Jesus talking to His disciples about being the true vine and the Father being the vinedresser.   Verse 2 says, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

                What does all that actually mean?  Since I obviously had a very remedial understanding of pruning, I decided to Google it and this is what I found.  “Pruning involves the selective removal of specific plant parts for the benefit of the entire plant.  Pruning should be viewed as a regular part of maintenance rather than as a remedial correction of neglected problems.  Pruning to maintain plant health includes the elimination of dead, dying, or diseased wood.  A dying branch or stub can be an entry point for insects or diseases that could spread to other parts of the plant.”  So, in my very simplistic understanding of these verses, I realize that as a child of God and a branch of my Savior, I will be pruned.  What does pruning look like in my life?  Could it be possibly an unexpected change in my job, my health, my marriage, my finances, my relationships, or my family…?  The list goes on.  At times, we may not really like or appreciate the pruning process but just think of how we can be so much more like Christ in the end.  Thankfully, the Master Gardener that does my pruning does not approach it with the zeal of a Ninja warrior like I did.  He does not hack away needlessly just to feel the rush of watching the pieces fall where they may.  He knows exactly which parts to take off.  He sees the big picture.  In the end, I will be better and most importantly, He will be glorified.

                So today, I challenge you to try a different perspective on your situation.  Try to see what pruning is going on in your life and most importantly thank your Gardener.

Specks, Planks, Cell Phones and Teenage Sons...or...Lessons Learned From my Child

What is it they say about parenting?  The toughest job you’ll ever love?  Wait, no… that’s the army right?  Actually, maybe there is a little similarity between the two.  Anyhow, back to the topic.

                God has blessed me immeasurably with 3 sons.  I count them as the greatest gifts He’s shared with me, second to my salvation.  I’m still amazed at the fact that He chose me to be their mother.  I’m not going to kid you.  Being a single mother to rambunctious boys is not without its challenges.  I am learning to take things with a grain of salt and not major in the minors so much.  The question “Is this the hill you want to die on?” is always in my mind in picking my battles.  For example, when I discovered a cup full of frozen ladybugs in my freezer, I didn’t freak out.  The 2 youngest were apparently experimenting in cryogenics.  Also, when the strange smell was coming from their bathroom, I didn’t go ballistic when I found a plastic cup of moldy squished grapes in the back of the linen closet.  The middle child explained that he was trying to make wine. (No clue where that idea came from)  Additionally, the night that the two youngest decided to dump an entire bottle of shampoo into the bathtub and then turn on the jets, I didn’t scream once when the mountain of bubbles was taller than me and I had to wade through the suds to find them.  Even now, I can laugh at their antics.  I absolutely adore my sons.  Every day with them is a blessing and definitely a learning experience.

                Lately, I’m realizing that God also teaches me a lot about my relationship with Him through my relationship with my boys.  Of course, I’m too grown up to make huge messes with soap or freeze ladybugs but there are plenty of other things I do that could stand some correction.  I realized one area of this when dealing with the firstborn. 

                (Let me start my story with a little bit of info on the front end.  I’m not sure of your area of experience with teenagers, but you know all those warnings that well-meaning people give you?  Heed them.  Truly I think something happens to their brains at about 12 and a half years of age.  I also think that God makes them so cute and cuddly as babies so we’ll remember that when they turn into teenagers.  It’s that stored up love that keeps you going some days.)

                When Firstborn was graduating from the 5^th grade, I decided it was time to get him a cell phone.  It made sense.  He’d be going to middle school the next year and I would like for him to have a phone to call me in case he missed his ride home or if his baseball practice ended early.  Also, it would be useful for us to stay in contact when he and the brothers were gone to their dad’s house on the weekends.   Truly, I viewed it as a safety precaution. 

With that cell phone, came a series of rules.  I’ll just state the first and most important one… if I was trying to get in touch with him, he’d better answer or reply to my text.  After we agreed to the rules, he also was made aware of the consequences of breaking the rules- no phone.   The first six months of cell phone ownership went rather smoothly.   The rules were followed.  He even offered to let me see his texts and let me know before he deleted anything.  His attitude was very gracious.  During the middle of the sixth grade things began to change.  I think it started with a girl.  (Doesn’t it always?)  I noticed Firstborn was getting texts all the time.  The phone was constantly chirping.  The “no texting during dinner rule” was instated.  That rule was followed by the “cell phone turned off at 10:00 rule.”  The addition of rules was accompanied by subtle eye-rolling. (That drives me crazy.  Again… deep breath.  Is this the hill I want to die on?)  All in all, the rest of the cell phone situation went along well for the most part.

However, one weekend the boys were at their dad’s.  (They go every other weekend.  I’m not one of those mothers who need to talk to them every day they are gone.  I try to respect their time with him and not intrude.   I do however text them good night and tell them that I love them.)  And on this weekend in particular when I texted my typical “good night I love you, tell the brothers” text, I did not receive a reply.  So I texted their dad to see if there was a problem and he had Firstborn reply.  The next weekend away, the same thing happened.  I didn’t text their dad this time.  I was feeling very angry and a little hurt.  I mean seriously, I gave this kid life.  I bought his cell phone.  Who does he think he is?  The pity party was well celebrated that night.  I worked myself into quite a snotty mess.

When the boys got home that Sunday night, I decided not to address it.  They were happy to be home and tired so we just did our Sunday Night Snuggle on my bed watching TV.  Well, the next morning while Firstborn was in the shower I decided to peruse his texts.  I noticed that he had over a hundred texts from his Sweet Patootie and that he’d replied to all of her texts during the same time I’d texted him.  Talk about seeing red!  I was seething with anger.  I started mentally rehearsing my attack.  I had all the words just ready to spew like venom from my mouth when he got out of the shower.  They were along the lines of this: “Seriously, who do you think you are?” “I’ve sacrificed everything for you and this is how you repay me?” “Is Sweet Patootie more important than your mother?” “I brought you into this world and I can take you out.” “I gave you this means of communication and you don’t even communicate with me?”  I’m sure you get the picture.  And this is where God stepped in…

I heard Him through His Holy Spirit addressing the questions to me.  “Who do you think you are?” “Who do you think I am?”  “I died for you.”  “Is anything in your life more important than Me?”  “I gave you the right to be my daughter.  I gave you life.  How often do you talk to Me?”  What an incredibly humbling experience.  I am so thankful that He loves me enough to teach me about parenting from His perspective.  Needless to say, my well-planned verbal attack didn’t go as I’d planned.  I learned instead to share some of the grace I’d been given.  Was the problem addressed?  Yes, but with an attitude of grace and mercy.  Honestly, it was better received than my verbal venom would have been.

I was gently reminded of a verse found in Matthew 7 “…how can you say…, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?”  I’ve read that passage numerous times but never has it hit home quite like it did when dealing with my own child.  Without fail, I have only applied that verse to adults.  Incorrectly, I’ve always assumed that my children were exempt from that.  After all, aren’t I to mold them into responsible human beings?  Isn’t my way how it should be done?  Instead, how much more authentic will my parenting be if I am honest and approach them with the same genuine love my heavenly Father gives to me?  I am so thankful to the Lord for teaching me tenderly, and in enough time to be able to glean from His teaching and grace to use it in my own parenting.

"Which Way Do I Go Now? Where's That Road Sign?"

       Okay, true confession time again…I have no sense of direction.  Nope, none at all.  My lack of that gift has been the source of family jokes for years.  “Jenn can’t get from one place to another unless she goes home first. Ha! Ha!”  “Sissy, why didn’t you notice before you made it to Jackson that you were going the wrong way?”  “Honey, seriously.... the Byron exit again?”  In other words, my lack of a sense of direction is legendary.

        Being fully aware of my limits, this past summer, my dad let me borrow his GPS to go on my first beach trip as a single mom and principle driver.  Even with Alice, the name my dad gave to his GPS, directing my path, I got lost on the way home.  A five hour trip turned into an eight hour nightmare.  The boys are still talking about it!

       Since that most recent mishap with direction I’ve done some thinking about how I got so lost, and I know exactly where I went wrong.  I listened to the advice of someone else instead of Alice the GPS expert.  Now before you start to mentally bash that someone or me for taking his advice, let’s consider him.   He has traveled that same route many times before and knew how to direct me home.  He was well-meaning and had no malicious intent.  He could even tell me landmarks along the way.  However, what he didn’t consider was the day I was traveling on and from exactly which part of Myrtle Beach I would be leaving.  In other words, he wasn’t exactly with me in the car, at that time, at that point in my life.  Of course hindsight being 20/20, I should have followed Alice.  In fact, she kept saying…”Make a left turn now.  Make a U-turn now.  Turn around now…”  She warned me in every way possible, until I hit her mute button, that I was headed the wrong way.  Actually, it wasn’t so much that it was the wrong way as it was not the best way.  I knew the whole time we would eventually get home.  I just wasn’t sure what would happen along the way or even when we would arrive. 

       How many times does this happen to you?  Granted, there’s probably no one in this room that has as poor a sense of direction as mine.  But have you ever been in a situation where you just really did not know where to turn?  I’m not talking about a question of right and wrong.  I’m talking about a question of good or best.  A friend of mine once told me that good is the opposite of best when it comes to your life.  In the light of “best”, “good” leads to resentment and discontent, and nothing compares to God’s best for you.

       Recently in my life, I’ve been faced with a series of difficult decisions to make.  I’ve gone to Christian counselors, pastors, godly friends and family in search of direction and come up with a mixed bag of answers.  I’ve come to realize that in my situation, I will not get a unified answer from my collective pool of very godly counsel.  Does that mean that any of these people are wrong?  I don’t know.  Does that mean that any of these people are right?  I don’t know that either.  But this one thing I do know…for the past several weeks in more than a handful of different situations I’ve run into the same verse…Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me and I will tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know.”  So, many times since the revelation that my Heavenly Father wants me to ask only Him for my answers, I’ve done that.  I’ve had a lot of “carpet moments.”  You know…face down in the floor because you can’t get any lower before a Holy God, begging, crying, and pleading for answers.  And I’ve got to tell you, I’ve heard nothing in terms of direction.  What I have heard is “Be still”, “I am with you.” And “I’m working on your behalf right now.”  This has been going on for a while now.

       So what do you and I do when we can’t put our cars in park and we have to keep driving because the earth is still spinning?  Life remains in constant motion and so must we.   What do we do?

       Well for me, the Holy Spirit started tweaking my prayers.  I haven’t been praying for the big picture as much.  No longer do I focus on “my” intended destination but on the route God wants me to take.  The focus of my prayers has changed to a smaller scale in terms of direction.  I’ve begun to pray Psalms 25:4, “Show me Your ways O Lord, and teach me Your paths.”  For me, praying so much about my intended destination easily mutates into anxiety and worry and I don’t even want to go there.

       Being me, in other words exhaustingly analytical, I started to ask…”Well, how do I know when I’m on Your best path Lord?”  “What if I’m driving the wrong way again?”  Blessedly, He answered me through His word in Isaiah 55:12…”You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided…”  To me that says that when I’m on the path that the Lord sets before me, I will be guided with His peace and no matter what the road conditions are, I will be joyful.

       Let me tell you how God braided those three truths together for me- In my life, with its present circumstances, only God can tell me the best path to take.  Friends and family may have traveled the same road before and I shouldn’t disregard them but no one but God is on the exact same road, at the exact same time, inside the exact same me.  His voice alone is the One to consider.

       Next, daily I have to pray that He will show me the steps to take on that day.  Lastly, I have to …”indeed, go out.”  In other words, I have to keep driving forward.  If I have called out to God for answers, and if I have prayed for Him to show me His path, then I know I can go out with joy and be guided by His peace.

       At the risk of sounding trite and a bit like a small church sign, I am equipped with my own GPS- God’s Positioning System.  And like Alice, Dad’s GPS, He will let me know if I make a wrong turn because He’s even more concerned with my destination than I am.  So today I encourage you, don’t hit the mute button on your GPS.

Holy Spirit 3.0

This summer my computer went haywire.  I think it started with a virus from Facebook.  Every time I turned it on, strange error messages and warning signs came on.  Now, my computer has had a few small viruses before.  And up until this time, I’d been able to download some free protection off the internet to take care of it.  With just a few mouse clicks, the problems were solved.  However, this virus was different.  All these messages like “Your personal information has been compromised. All files are infected. Threat level…HIGH, and Danger” were bombarding my eyes.

        So recognizing my limits as not being a technologically evolved person, I called a techie friend of mine.  We were on the phone for about 20 minutes, during which I felt completely inadequate and just plain dumb.  After talking me through the proper channels of troubleshooting, my friend finally said, “Jennifer, there’s nothing more I can do.  You’ll just have to get some new anti-virus software to get to the root of the problem.”

        We discussed my options of software and the prices involved.  So with wallet in hand and a plan in mind, I headed out in search of a solution.  When I got to Staples I noticed the huge selection of available anti-virus software.  Wow! My friend wasn’t kidding.  There is a lot to choose from.  I’m so glad I had his recommendation.  Of course, it was the most expensive so I spent a while reading all of the boxes.  Every other product seemed to deliver about the same results.  However, what my friend suggested was the most comprehensive.  I made my purchase and headed home.

        It took a short while to install and fix all of my computer woes.  Apparently, over 3300 viruses with about the same number of infected files were found. (Hmm… maybe my quick fixes of internet freebies didn’t take care of my past problems at all.)  Finally, my computer was healthy again. 

        Now, every time I turn on my computer, I see the welcoming sight of my anti-virus shield and I know it is working.  Occasionally, it will detect a small problem or minor threat, let me know that I need to run a clean-up, and go to work fixing it.  It’s simple, fast, and effective.  In fact, I think those three words may have been on the box.

        Anyway…one morning this summer, I headed out to my porch for coffee with God.  On this day my heart was particularly heavy with a bunch of negative feelings and some nagging, self-defeating thoughts.  Some were leftovers from a stressful week.  Some were rooted in concern for my brother in Afghanistan.  And some were just simply overwhelming thoughts of all I needed to get done before heading back to school.  So as I began to pray, the Holy Spirit brought a verse to mind…”Create a clean heart in me O God and renew a right spirit within me…”.

        While I was praying, laying out all my woes before the Lord and offering up my pitiful, broken self with all its annoying glitches to Him, I had a flash of a thought about my Norton Anti-Virus. (That may sound a bit irreverent but I’ve come to realize that God always approaches us in a way we can understand Him.  For me its analogies, so ride this one out with me please.)  The Holy Spirit brought to my mind the impressions I had of my software – simple, fast, and effective.  Actually, God and Norton have more in common than I thought.

        Let’s see- simple. Well, being computer ignorant, even I could figure out the software.  Not a lot of technical jargon was involved at all.  The same goes for God.  We don’t have to approach God with a storehouse of biblical knowledge- just an honest heart.  Tell Him what’s bothering you.  Talk to Him like you would your dad- honestly, simply and with respect.

        Fast- well considering the amount of infection, the Norton was very efficient- much more so than the internet freebies.  How many times in our lives do we search for a quick fix in the wrong place only to realize that the best answer was right in front of us?  I could have saved my computer and myself a lot of heartache if I had installed the right software from the beginning.  Think of the time I could have saved from ever being lost.

        Effective- like my Norton offering a comprehensive package, God does too.  I like to think about what God does for us as a 2 for 1 deal.  If we confess our sins, (That’s 1 on our part) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (That’s the 2 on His part.)

        As Christians we have our own anti-virus software installed from the moment we are saved.  Think of it as the Holy Spirit 3.0.  It’s always in place, always scanning for problems to bring to our attention, and always helping us get rid of the junk.  So today, I encourage you to let the Holy Spirit run a clean-up.

Accept No Substitutes

                Don’t you just hate it when you crave something terribly and it’s nowhere to be found?  It’s all you can think about….this craving that gnaws on your insides diverting your attention away from the task at hand.  For instance, one day I really wanted a good piece of chocolate.  I could just imagine its rich, creamy goodness melting over my taste buds and sliding down the back of my throat.  (My mouth is watering now just thinking about it.)  I went to where I keep my stash, out of the sight and reach of little boys, to be sorely disappointed.  No Dove dark chocolate squares! (Actually, I think the oldest son has located my stash.)  Oh, there was chocolate in my hiding place but not the really good stuff.  Now, I don’t want to knock the other candy makers so let’s just say I had a fun sized little bar of creamy nougat, caramel and milk chocolate.  Well, I ate that one rather quickly and they were just those minuscule fun size ones.  (Really I wonder about those….fun for who?)  Any how….quickly I polished off another.  You know, my craving still wasn’t fulfilled so I ate just one more.  After my little foray into the chocolate stash, my yearning was a small bit abated but not completely satisfied.  Still I desired the real thing.  And what’s a chocolate craving girl to do with an opened bag of candy?  Yep, eat just one more.  Ok now, four fun size bars later I was beginning to feel a bit queasy.  This simply wasn’t doing the trick at all and now heaped on top was the guilt and condemnation that comes with scarfing down empty calories.  The funny thing is that years ago, before I ever tasted the first mouth-watering delight that is Dove dark chocolate, I was entirely satisfied with cheaper fun size candy bars.  Dove has ruined most other candy for me.  I still do enjoy a good M&M from time to time but my heart longs for Dove.   

                I can also recall another time when a craving presented itself.  I had been seeing someone and the relationship was over.  My heart was still tender over missing my friend.  I happened to be in a department store near the fragrance counter.  I glanced over… Actually, you know what? I’m going to stop right there and be totally real and transparent… I was hawking out his particular cologne so I could just smell him one more time.  I furtively looked around to see if anyone was looking before taking the top off the bottle and inhaling as deeply as possible.  For a split second, with tears leaking out of the corners of my eyes, I could smell him.  Then before an associate could ask to help me or call security, I hurried out of the store.  Strangely enough, that experience left me queasy as well.  It was just a poor substitute for the original.  It only represented a portion of what I desired.  Again I was left wanting more.

                The other morning as I was having my quiet time, I was working through my devotional book.  My world was quiet and I was just reading bits of Scripture and moving along page by page.  I finished one day’s worth and still the house was quiet so I continued onto another day.  I was feeling really good about myself and the amount I was covering.  Before I knew it, I’d worked through the material that was designated for four days.  I was beginning to mentally pat myself on the back when I realized that I was almost in a frenzy.  I was taking in the material, hungry for more truth, more God, when the Holy Spirit made a connection for me.  Here I was again trying to quench a desire with just a substitute.  Please don’t misunderstand.  I’m not downing devotional books at all.  They really can be an excellent resource to get to know God.  Actually, one day I’d like to write one, Lord willing.  What I realized is that like my true desire for good chocolate can only be quenched with Dove dark chocolate, my burning desire for Truth can only be extinguished by the Word of God.  That alone is the only option. I can spend all of the time in the world reading specific tidbits of Scripture and filling in the blanks in little books but until I spend intimate time with Him in His Word, I will always hunger for more.  Like the chocolate fix and the fragrance fix, the devotional book for me is a fix.  It works for a while but not nearly as good as the real thing.  Time spent with Him, the real Him and His Word is the best.  I leave my time with Him only wanting more of the same, not something else.  Today I want to encourage you to accept no substitutes.  Accept only His best.

OK Lord, I'm Delighted Already!

On the wall of my college dorm, I had a cute poster of a little bear skipping through a flower-filled meadow with Psalm 37:4 on it. “Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give thee the desires of thy heart.” What a promise! In other words, to my college-aged mind…”Be good, love God and He will give you what you want!”


Well, being good and loving God took some work and I was a busy girl. I went to church, prayed, coordinated a tutoring program between my college and a local housing project, worked in a soup kitchen once a month, babysat the preacher’s kids, volunteered several days a week for a year in a nursing home, didn’t litter….basically I tried to save my little part of the planet for Jesus.


Let me stop here with my resume of good deeds (especially since I now know that my righteous acts are like filthy rags) and tell you my sole motivation. Like a lot of good southern girls my age at that time, a huge but secret goal for college attendance was not to get a B.S. degree but to get a Mrs. degree.


In college I dated many nice boys and a few not-so-nice ones during my four years there, but God never seemed to bring “the one.” The first year after graduation brought countless weddings and about 7 ugly bridesmaid dresses (In fact, my mother’s attic still probably has that heap of ugly taffeta in a corner.). Invitations, birdseed and watered down punch in fellowship halls weren’t the only things that those weddings brought with them. They also brought a sense of desperation and a bit of resentment towards God. Where was my Mr. Right? Why didn’t God live up to His end of the bargain? I had lived up to my end, hadn’t I?


Let’s switch tracks here- the other day I had one of my most precious students ask me if he could help me clean up and do stuff while waiting on his bus. I agreed and I’ve got to tell you, that 6 year old boy was a dynamo. He collected pencils for me, picked up trash and pushed chairs under. He did everything I asked and even suggested other things he could do. He had the idea to stamp the date for the next day’s math journal entry in all 21 notebooks. He passed out papers and even straightened a few on my desk! He was an absolute delight! He was finishing all this work when his bus was called. Before he walked out, he came up to me and said, “Teacher, since I’ve been so good today and have done all of this extra work, don’t you have a prize for me?” I must admit, that rubbed me the wrong way a little. Here I thought this sweet, precious child was doing all of these things out of a pure motivation with love for me and his desire to serve me. Actually, he may or may not have felt that way a little but all my heart and mind heard was…”I’ve done all of this for you so what are you gonna give me?” Wow! How many times in my life have I approached God the same way? How many times does God shake His head and feel a little bit grieved?


I would like to say that through the years I have changed my interpretation of Psalm 37:4. On days when my flesh takes over I still have a tendency to list my good deeds and whine before the Lord with the “why nots and the why me’s”? I have done a little studying though about what it means to be delighted in the Lord. Between the Bible, the dictionary and the guidance of the Holy Spirit this is what I’ve come up with…


A woman who delights herself in the Lord is someone who….


*desires to know Him more each day


*finds peace, rest, and comfort in His presence


*carries that blessed assurance of His presence with her in all circumstances


*trusts in His sovereignty and love for her


*treasures His Word and ponders its applications to her life


*finds joy in doing His will






For me, I find that the more I delight myself in Him; He does give me the desires of my heart. The funny thing is- those desires aren’t what I always thought they were. He surprised me with a manifestation of His Word in Jeremiah 24:7…”I will give you a heart to know Me…” So instead of treating the command to “delight myself in the Lord” as a hoop that must be jumped through to win the prize, I’m realizing that delighting myself in Him is the prize. It’s become my desire. Did I do it? No, not at all. I asked Him to help me make it that way. Honestly, in my life it’s one of the prayers that He’s answered the fastest.


So today I encourage you to spend some time delighting in the presence of your Lord. I can promise He will give you the desires of your heart and more.