Delight

 “Peace is joy at rest. Joy is peace on its feet.”

Peanut and I started this book four weeks ago. It has 22 chapters. We read one chapter every night before bed.

She had listened to the first book in this series on audio book and we were excited to see this option on the "new" shelf at the library.

I'll confess. I've been utterly BORED the last 16 nights I've read this aloud to her. The story alternates narrators between several characters and is slow moving with no plot.

Earlier this week, I grabbed our book for our nightly snuggle time and decided to ask her.

"Peanut, are you enjoying this book?"

She quickly replied "No - it's boring but I thought you liked it."

I shared that we could just put this book back in the library basket. We did not have to read the last 6 chapters.

She looked perplexed.

"Really?"

Really I tell her - and she races off to deposit the unfinished book in the return basket and choose something new. We read 3 chapters of the new choice, both engaged and excited to hear what happens.

In a homeschool planning series I'm watching in preparation for the new year, the author talks about finding time in your day for DELIGHT.

I've been thinking about this word "delight" this week.

Webster says that delight is "a high degree of gratification or pleasure : JOY."

Not just something that brings you joy, but something that provides a HIGH degree of pleasure.

Finishing this book does not count as delight for Peanut nor I.

In my homeschool planner for this next school year I made myself a note.

Delight in each day.

Often I think our days are full of things that we feel like we "have" to do.

But I would contend, that MANY of those things fall in the "finishing a book just because you read 16 of the 22 chapters category."

Not necessary.

Could be a good thing.

But it's not a necessary thing.

Mama Warriors I think we can create space in our day for true DELIGHT if we evaluate all of our daily activities and remove what is good but not best.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

My devotion read this morning challenged that MANY people worry about finding that quiet time - the first 30 minutes of the day so they can begin their day in the word.

He argued that it's never those 30 minutes that are the problem - it's the fact that what we soak up in that quiet time, is not lived out the other 23.5 hours of the day.

To delight in Him means we make space for joy.

For true delight.

For books that are page turners.