So, when I woke up this
morning, I turned my thoughts to Jesus and I heard Him say, “Come
away with Me.” Carolina and Dani were sound asleep at the table bed
in our RV and Thilo and Bre were still sleeping up in the overhead
bed. I got up, got dress, gathered my toilet supplies and walked
along the boat pier to the public toilets. It felt wonderful to
splash warm water on my face. I thought of the last place where we
had camped and the public toilets only had freezing cold water.
Then I went across the
street and sat at a picnic table to read my morning devotional. It
was so good. It ministered to my heart about suffering. The
scripture reference was from Psalm 4:1 “Thou hast enlarged me when
I was in distress.” It said that good times bring do not deepen
your inner self but suffering brings you closer to your brothers and
sisters in the world. “Say not that the shades of the
prison-house have fettered you; your fetters are wings – wings of
flight into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged you by the
binding of sorrow's chain.” George Matheson
As I was sitting and
praying with my eyes closed, people passing by would stare at me
curiously, so I decided to go for a walk. I walked down the end of a
small jetty and sat on a big rock overlooking the Danish sea. It was
beautiful. There was a flock of Swift sparrows flying in huge
circles around me. I never saw them land and read later in BreAnna's
bird book that they can go two years without landing! They sleep and
eat while flying. I watched them swoop down to the water and eat the
bugs and swoop back up into the air and repeat the pattern. They
flew so fast that it was very fun to watch. They were black on top
and their underbellies were white. I watched in delight for quite
some time when suddenly the still, small voice said to me, “I
take pleasure in you. Just like you are enjoying the birds so I enjoy
you. I love to watch you eat, play and even sleep.”
I saw
myself sitting on that rock, almost a giant compared to the birds. I
have no idea what the birds thought of me or if they were even aware
of me and I know for sure that they were totally unaware that I was
taking pleasure in them. I always think that I have to do for
God to take pleasure in me. Even though I have learned that He loves
me just as I am, the idea never ceases to amaze me. I think I need
to learn the truth a thousand times before it fully sinks in and
becomes real to me. A small chink in my armor fell off and once
again I was overwhelmed and in awe that the great God, creator of all
the universe notices and loves ME!!
After
a time, the birds all gathered themselves into a flock and flew way.
I couldn't believe that they were ceasing their activity! I guessed
that breakfast time was over. I turned to watch where they were
flying off to and saw them high up in the sky flying in a huge
circle. The sun caught their white underbellies and it seemed to me
that they were shimmering.
I got
up and started to walk back to our RV. As I walked I pondered on the
fact that one of man kind's greatest joys is when someone takes
pleasure in us. My son-in-law loves it when I laugh at his jokes.
Real joy overwhelms him and that makes me happy too. Then I thought
about how we feel if someone delights in us but we don't return their
admiration. We can almost feel repulsed by them. We would rather
they just go away and leave us alone. If the delight is not
reciprocated, we do not enjoy their delight. So it is with the Lord.
We need to take delight in Him to receive and enjoy His delight in
us. The only way to take delight in the Lord is to get to know Him
and for me the biggest way I have come to know Him is through reading
about Him in the stories of the bible. When I read the bible, I
learn about His faithfulness, justice, righteousness and mercy. I
have learned that He is a God who experiences every emotion that we
experience like love, jealousy and anger. He created food, beauty
and our amazing bodies that can run, swim and enjoy intimate
pleasures. We are created in His image and likeness, so we can know
that He too loves beauty, activity and intense intimacy.
My
Papa, my Lord, my companion enjoys me and I enjoy Him.
