After weeks of planning, working through my heart and then some good old fashioned hard work, the living room was finished. The result: I loved it! Seriously, I still look around at the new color and think, “This is so beautiful.” In fact, we loved it so much that we decided to carry the colors into the bathroom! Taking one of our few free weekends this summer, Jamie and I grabbed a paint brush and roller and turned our boring tan bathroom a bright beautiful blue. Again, I was pretty excited about the results. I even took the opportunity to replace a few items—-like our decade old soap dish. Even though at first I wasn’t going to spend the money, when my favorite store had a super, amazing, deep discount I decided to splurge and purchase this “extra” item. Like a kid in the candy store I was pretty excited when it arrived. (When did I reach the age that a soap dish became an exciting purchase??? I guess this is what middle age feels like). As I opened the package I couldn’t wait to see how it would look in the newly painted space. Spoiler: It matched perfectly and I was really enjoying my little moment of being a DIY Diva. It quickly came to and end when I saw my Dad’s face. Rolling his eyes and muttering to himself, he made it clear that this was an unnecessary purchase and he didn’t understand why his daughter had to be so silly as to want everything to match. Now it was my turn to walk away, roll my eyes and think, “He’s just a guy—-what do they know?” And yet, I have to admit, it bothered me. Once again, I was reminded that my taste, my style, and my exuberance for everything annoyed him. But I brushed it off. After all, you’d think after forty years I’d get the memo—-we are different. I just needed to learn to deal and go on with my life. That’s what I did—-the rest of the evening passed and I eventually went to bed. While I was sleeping, I had the most amazing dream (which is a BIG change from when the Holy Spirit started working on my heart this summer). In my dream, I was in a classroom with a large group of women listening to one of my favorite speakers talk about the fact that the Heavenly Father delights in His daughters. As I woke up, this verse was plastered in my mind: “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Another translation says that the Father “delights” to give you the kingdom. As I woke up with this verse settled in my heart and mind, I felt so loved…..so secure. Once again I was reminded that contrary to the disapproval I’ve lived with most of my life, my Heavenly Father delights in me and that ’s all that matters. Thinking back across the course of the summer, I could almost feel the Father’s heart telling me, “It gave me great happiness to give you everything I’ve blessed you with this summer.” Because the truth is that this summer, I was given so much more than just freshly painted walls, some new pictures, and a beautiful new soap dish (although that experience was pretty cool). For me, all of these things were a catalyst that opened my heart to a healing that needed to take place in my heart. This summer, I found new freedom from guilt, from twisted knots in my mind, even from grief. I remember in early spring listening to a man share his story and thinking, “God, I WISH I could find that level of peace and freedom in my own life.” Because although God had already done a MASSSIVE work in my heart, it was becoming more and more apparent that there were new areas that needed to be addressed so that I could find total joy and peace. Looking back I believe God heard that unspoken prayer and on that day started laying the ground work for the amazing heart work He’s done in me this summer. Far more than the work we’ve done on the house, this summer has been about God doing more kingdom work inside of my heart. And this morning as I woke up, I was once again reminded that doing this work inside of me gave Him much happiness. For Him, it was a delight. This truth has given me such a sense of peace and love. It’s almost as if I can feel the Father smiling along with every step we took forward. Every truth that was revealed, every time a new perspective settled into my heart, and even with each stroke of paint that went on the wall. This summer was His design to heal my heart and bring me into a new place—and it brought Him much happiness. Isn’t He truly an amazing Father? Today, I’m sharing this with you just in case you need a reminder of the truth that: Your Heavenly Father delights in you. It brings Him great happiness whenever you allow Him to work on your heart, heal your soul and mind, and fulfill more of His kingdom purposes inside of your life. His greatest desire is to see you become the woman that He originally intended you to be, living out the plan He has for your life. Whenever you open yourself and allow Him to bless you in this way, He is absolutely thrilled. Because He loves you. He wants the best for you. He wants to see you thrive, and grow, and prosper…to go beyond the limits that you or others have placed on you and experience a rich, full life in Him. This is what brings Him joy. This is what makes Him smile. Whatever you have been told, you are not a burden or an annoyance to Him—-you are His delight. When we allow ourselves to open our hearts and minds to all that He has to give us we find that it is above and beyond anything we could ever imagine. That’s a pretty amazing truth! For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23
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