Being a Delight

Diane Mayfield –

I was waiting in anticipation for my granddaughter to arrive. Dave calls out, “They are here.” I walk out to my son’s car and open the door to the back seat. My granddaughter smiles widely and giggles with delight. Her arms reach up for me to take her, which I do. We are inseparable until I put her to bed that evening.

It’s quite non-stop when my two-year-old Anna arrives. “DeDe come here. DeDe, help Anna.” I play when she wants me to and I watch her play, coming when she calls for help. Wanting nothing more than to please my Anna, I submit to her every desire to be by her side.

I walk downstairs in the morning and speak her name. She runs to me with open arms, almost flying into mine. I pick her up and we embrace for the first time that day. Truly, she lights up my day simply by being my granddaughter. I love that she loves to be with me. She delights in my presence and I in hers.

Delight is a word I ponder quite a bit. To me it is an indescribable feeling. I delight in peaches and ice cream. I scream with delight when my favorite movie plays on television. I jump with joy when I see the dolphins at the beach. Scripture says that the Lord delights in me. I often wonder how. And it says that I am to delight in Him. How does the most Holy God, perfect and complete in ways that I cannot comprehend, delight in me? In what ways do I show my delight in Him as well? I think I’m learning some of these answers from my precious granddaughter.

Anna and I are in a relationship—an unconditional love relationship, which will never change. She is my granddaughter and I her grandmother. I loved her from the day she was born, before she knew who I was. I loved her when all she did was eat and sleep. Now she interacts with me. I love to see the world through her eyes and I delight in her discoveries. Even when she’s challenging as two-year-olds can be, I welcome the interaction with her in the process. To have a relationship with this little person is one of the greatest joys of my life. She loves that I love to be with her. I enter her world and am involved in her world, just as she is.

Here’s the learning. This is how the Most Holy God of the Universe feels about me, his daughter. Even in my immaturity, He delights in my process. He loves that I call His name in the morning and rush to be with Him. He watches over me and runs to my aid when like Anna, I say, “God, help Diane.” He delights in our relationship, not my performance. He delights in me simply because I am me. I bring Him delight by wanting His involvement and presence with me. I believe being together is His delight.

Once again, from a little child I learn profound truths. My prayer is that I too delight in my Lord just as my adorable Anna delights in her DeDe. And, that I wrap myself in the truth that I too am a delight to my Lord just by being his daughter and calling His name each and every day.