January 16, 2022

January 12, 2022

God delights in you. How do you feel when you hear that? Delight usually comes with an exuberant flow of joy that seemingly arises from one’s toes with the expression of great glee. Reflecting upon the deep measure of joy God has in us can be a source of joy for ourselves. Delight is infectious. A very young brother and sister were playing on the beach when the all too familiar ice cream truck made its daily rounds. The boy shook with excitement and delight as he took his sister’s hand and exclaimed, “The ice cream man is here, isn’t it great!” As they ran off toward the truck, one could hear the girl reply, “Yeah, I can’t wait!” The experience of a child’s delight in something so simple as ice cream, lifts our spirits from our burdens and transports us to the lighter, more innocent side of life.
Life is not meant to be a burden. Believe it or not, God actually wants us to be happy! In fact, the wedding feast at Cana shows us that God even puts His blessing on our happiness. It is okay to celebrate the wonder of ourselves and others. Life is good. It is always interesting to note that Jesus saves the good wine until last. You would think it would be the other way around. The superb quality of Jesus’ wine points to the superior quality of life we find in Christ. It is not a life of burdens but a life of wonder and delight! In Christ, we are lifted from the superficial and mundane to a life of purpose, hope, and love.
God is with us through the long haul, through the challenges and sorrows as well as the successes and accomplishments. In spite of the fact that we often wander from the path, God’s celebratory delight in us remains. As spouses are asked to remain faithful to each other through whatever life brings, God remains faithful too. This promise remains through this life and into the next. All we have to do is take the advice of Jesus’ mother to heart when she says, “Listen to him.” This wisdom saves us from foolishly giving in to the illusion that we can make better wine than Jesus. ©LPi