Psalm 37:23a If Yahweh delights in a man’s way,
Our Pekingese, Snuggles, sleeps with us every night. Usually she sleeps through the night but now and then she wakes up having to go to the bathroom. This means I get up, and now, as it was when we were in Tennessee, I get dressed and take her outside. Without a totally fenced-in yard, it means that I go out with her. From the beginning this struck me as a job for me, not Donna.
Sometimes during the night I don’t hear Snuggles when she is making sounds to go outside but Donna does. When that happens, Donna nudges me awake and I take Snuggles out. This is a little “big thing” for me. On my scale of things, it’s little, but it sure blesses Donna; to her it’s big.
Taking Snuggles out in the middle of the night is an opportunity for me to bless my wife, the girl I love. It’s not a chore and it isn’t burdensome. Believe it or not, it truly is a source of joy. Standing outside in the cold, snow or rain in the middle of the night for a few minutes isn’t a big deal; and invariably, I think of her snuggled in bed and it brings a smile to my face. It’s an opportunity for my actions to say “I love you” to her.
What a blessing it is to live our lives together; loving one another. There are so many opportunities for us to communicate that love to each other through our attitudes and actions. While we recognize our responsibilities for tasks needing to be done, pervading it all is the gratitude for the love we share. That love and gratitude bring pleasure to jobs done; bringing delight to each other.
There is delight, in bringing delight to someone – particularly someone we love. This truth is epitomized in our relationship with our Lord Jesus. Given the magnitude and wonder of His love for us, I find it mind-boggling that we have the opportunity to bring Him delight! The realization of this is truly a ‘Eureka’ moment. It’s like finding gold!
And bringing delight to God is not just doing things for Him – it’s living our lives, doing whatever He tells us to do!! We bring Him delight when we walk in His ways. The more we become like Jesus, the more delight we bring Him. We delight in Him – and He delights in us. WOW!!