5 things about pleasure

The true dimensions of a soul are seen in its delights.
~ John Piper

...And do not be grieved,
for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10

While I spent 2011 learning to depend more on God, I also was learning to delight more in Him.

Why?

Because if Christians—the very ones who’ve been granted abundant life already—can’t live in true joy, why would anyone want to become one?

That doesn’t mean we won’t have sorrows and pains. But underneath it all, we’ve been gifted to live life with a depth of pleasure unknown to those without the Spirit.

Here are five things I learned about delight:

1. Delight in Jesus
God’s first and highest pleasure is in his Son, so mine should be, too. I looked hard at scriptures that show where God finds delight, and decided I should find delight in the same places. God was most pleased with Jesus, so my delight should center there as well.

By my deepest pleasure being in him, I always have my greatest delight with me, regardless of what is going on around me.

2. He wants me to enjoy
When I take pleasure in what God gives me, it brings him pleasure, too. I honor the giver when I enjoy the gift.

Don’t we want our kids to enjoy the presents we give them? Of course; we take after our Father. So enjoy what he gives you.

3. Make pleasure work for you
God’s gifts are protection, refreshing you to keep you strong. Enjoy them responsibly within his boundaries. Let them lead you to God, not away from him.

We’re too weak to live without pleasures. God knows this; ask him for the right pleasures that will keep you satisfied in him. To borrow from Lewis’s Screwtape, God created pleasure, not Satan. Satan has to twist it before it’s useful to him.

4. Find pleasure in others
Don’t wait for others to be perfect before you enjoy being with them. Let your family know they’re a source of your joy—even with their faults.

And strive to become a source of joy to them—even with your faults.

5. Go for the best
Because we’re surrounded by multiple opportunities for pleasures, be picky to delight yourself in the best, godly ones.

Don’t fill up on junk pleasures with little value or godliness. Cultivate a strong appetite to enjoy what God designed you to enjoy.

Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

* * *

Related:

• How do you enjoy God?
• Pleasure
• I hope you dance
• Something to smile about

Books I used to study delight in 2011:

• The Pleasures of God by John Piper
• Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
• Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

How do you enjoy God?

1. fresh small strawberries; Dr. Pepper on crushed ice; Ore-Ida tater tots with Lawry’s seasoned salt; cheddar cheese; room temperature drinking water; first 5 minutes of Bubblicious bubble gum; Cadbury Creme Egg; Kraft caramel

rib eye from Angelo’s; peach cobbler right out of the oven; stuffed-crust pepperoni pizza; steak fries; Capt. Anderson’s popcorn shrimp; fried mozzarella cheese sticks; HOT NOW Krispy Kreme doughnut

2. high thread count pillowcase; full body massage; extra soft t-shirt; baby’s hair; holding hands with hubs; A/C blowing on hot skin

forceful showerhead; airplane at takeoff; lips on neck; silky anything; toes buried in sand; arms of a friend; fingers pressed hard on old piano keys; inside a blazing car after a freezing room

3. double-fudge brownies almost ready; vanilla candle atop the piano; pages of a brand new book; fresh mulch; powder laundry detergent; warm skin in the sun; Johnson’s baby shampoo

honeysuckle; wild cherry blossom lotion;  bacon frying; Cinnabon; front door of Sunbeam bakery

4. strong stereo bass; ocean slapping the beach; solo piano (i.e. Jim Brickman); hard rain; tight alto/tenor harmony

versatile audio-book voice; wind in treetops; foreign accent; silence when reading; laughter; “I love you”; acoustic guitar; white noise; deep sleep beside me; baby’s sneeze

5. creating with words; hitting “Buy” on Amazon; singing with the church; personal e-mail; being clean; intellectually-stimulating discussion; package at the door; timed Sudoku; epiphanies; Dell logic puzzles; praying in a circle (clockwise, naturally)

birthdays on Facebook; winning at Clue; well-crafted blog post;  Psalm 23, 27, 34 in the night; witty tweets; videos of my babies; successful HTML; book that refuses to close; a good mindread; clutter-free room; all green lights on University Drive; encouraging blog comments; soul-connecting encounters

grace and gifts of love from God, Jesus, Holy Spirit

* * *

What would you add to the list?

How are you enjoying God today?

RELATED:

• 2011—The Year of Depend and Delight
• Reclaiming Pleasure
• Something to Smile About
• 5 Reasons to Delight in His Works
  

Something to smile about

It was Friday afternoon. We were at Centro Escolar El Rosario, somewhere in El Salvador.

The school kids were very intrigued by us, the Americans who could barely speak their language. As we engaged them, they would listen, laugh, and try to communicate with us.I tried out my best Spanish words on the kids in my group as we made “VIDA” bracelets together.
     ¿Cómo te llama? 
     ¿Cuántos años tienes?
     ¿Cuando es tu cumpleaños?

One beautiful girl read my name tag aloud: “Lisa.”
I smiled.
I tried to properly pronounce her name.
She smiled. She surprised me by counting to ten in English. I counted to ten in Spanish. We used our crayons and taught each other the names of colors in our native tongues. Green—verde. Azul—blue.

We hugged, smiled. We made memories. We made friendship.

I want to keep her locked in my memory, in my heart, this sweet new girlfriend who called my name one more time as we pulled away in our bus: “Lisa!” I turned and looked.
And smiled and waved.
And stored another memory in my heart.

My friend Ed reminded me later that God delights in us in much the same way.

When we’re grateful for his gifts of hugs and grins and new friends, God must smile at us too.

And when we call him by name, he notices and listens.

I continued to watch kids smile all week. Whether blowing bubbles together or painting fingernails or singing about Jesus, joy was present.

The Lord was with us. On the last day of our trip, we ran across this swing. I sat.
Jeff pushed.
And I imagine God smiled.

* * *

Will God smile at your delight in Him today?
What gift of his will he watch you enjoy?

RELATED:

• Delight in His works
• I hope you dance
• What’s your pleasure?

Delight in his works!

Like most of you, I’m delighting in the blooms and colors around the house this week. 

And because Week 7 of God in the Yard is emphasizing Gone/Present, I’m thanking God extra for returning His presence in these colors that were gone during the cold winter.

Don’t you think God Himself delights in His spring works?
His Word gives us reason to believe so.

Here are five reasons I’ve read about (thanks, John Piper, in The Pleasures of God) and taken pictures of this week.

Enjoy Him!

1. His works reflect His glory
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1

2. His works give Him praisePraise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps,...mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
Psalm 148:7, 9

3. His works unveil His wisdomO LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24

4. His works show His powerLift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
Isaiah 40:26

5. His works point us beyond themselves to Him...May the LORD rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles...I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 
Psalm 104:31-33

* * *

What works of His hand have you delighted in this week?

What’s on your nightstand?—January ‘11

This is my juicy stack for my 2011 theme “Depend and Delight.” Because I’ll be reading them sloooowly, I won’t include these 9 in my monthly nightstand list.

But I have to at least acknowledge them now—they’re so good!

Depend:
1.Future Grace (again) by John Piper
2. A Praying Life by Paul Miller
3. The Fear Factor by Wayne Mack and Joshua Mack
4. Humility (again) by Andrew Murray
5. Humility by C. J. Mahaney

Delight:
6. Pleasures of God by John Piper
7. Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas
8. The Happiness Project (again) by Gretchen Rubin
9. one thousand gifts by Ann Voskamp

But wait…there’s more!

These are my January nightstand books.

Just started
1. Couples Who Pray by SQuire Rushnell & Louise DuArt
It preps you for this challenge: Pray for 5 minutes a day with your spouse for 40 days. I’ll let you know 40 days later if anything happens in my own house.

2. When Organizing Isn’t Enough by Julie Morgenstern
A re-read. This book is not just about your physical stuff. I need it to push through some mental clutter.

3. What’s So Amazing about Grace? by Philip Yancey
Grace should be a distinguishing characteristic of the church. So is it? How does grace work? What are we doing with it?

Still Reading
4. Crazy Love by Francis Chan
“Jesus, I believe You are worth it, that You are better than anything else I could have in this life or the next. I want You. And when I don’t, I want to want You.”

5. Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
“Not only do we sin against God when we complain…, we also deprive ourselves of the peace that comes from recognizing our heavenly Father is in control…”

Finished from December’s nightstand
6. Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
A great book about how to change things. Written by the same authors as Made to Stick.

7. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Such a fun story! I passed it down to Jenna, who got hooked and is now reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. I’m now working on Jeff—I checked out the CDs for him.

8. In the President’s Secret Service by Ronald Kessler
Very intriguing to read the stories from agents who have protected our presidents. And also to hear which presidents were nice to them (both Bush families) and which were not (Carters).

9. The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
Another book to scare you about how the internet is rewiring your brain. But it has some merit.

* * *

What books are you enjoying this month?

I hope you dance

And do not be grieved,
for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10b

I know nothing, except what everyone knows
—if there when Grace dances, I should dance.
~ W. H. AUDEN

When we heard there would be dancing at Amanda’s wedding, we drew in our breath just a little. Would we have to dance? Oh, my.

How long had it been since we’d danced?

Not counting break-out performances to crazy songs with our teenagers.
Or living room twirls with little girls as pretend ballerinas.

Not counting early dancing on trips as newly-marrieds.
And certainly not counting long, long ago proms where the white people took on the slow dances and the black people the fast ones.

Now it was time.
Again. To dance.

Life had been hard.
          Time had been short.
                    But joy was still alive.

And it asked us, “Can I have this dance?”

And we bravely answered, “Most certainly!”

So we did the electric slide and some in-your-arms sweet dancing.
And some of us did the Soul Train line.
(And others of us backed out and watched our husbands dance it instead.)

But next time…next time…we’ll even break loose on the Soul Train line.
(I promised Michelle we would.)

And you?

When you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

Choose joy.
It’s your strength.
I did.

And I’m so glad.

So I commend the enjoyment of life.
Ecclesiastes 8:15a (NIV)

* * *

At Bonnie’s we’re answering: Is Joy Easy or Hard For You?

RELATED:

• “Pleasure” – when you hear it, what do you think?
• Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance

When’s the last time you danced?

Pleasure

One of the words God is putting on my heart for the new year is:

Pleasure

But when you hear it, what do you think?

Some in the church feel suspicious, at best, of pleasure. We consider pleasure a synonym for sin.  
~ Gary Thomas, Pure Pleasure

I want to take this word back from the world.

Our greatest pleasure is found in God Himself, the One who opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:16).

Prayer and fellowship are among life’s richest pleasures, but let’s not stop there.

Let us learn to fill our souls with beauty, art, noble achievement, fine meals, rich relationships, and soul-cleansing laughter.

When we acknowledge these pleasures, we acknowledge God as a genius creator of brilliant inventions.

Because our God is so extravagant, He keeps on giving, delighting in our receipt of His pleasures.

Such as,

• Flipping through a creative Anne Geddes book of Beginnings
• Listening to a favorite song over and over in the car because it inspires me
• Opening the door to the mailman with a package of books from Amazon, including Paul Miller’s A Praying Life
• Having a full kitchen table again with Morgan home
• Reveling in the grace of God’s faithfulness
• Touching Jeff’s fresh goatee and marveling at how men can grow thick facial hair
• Knowing God has my back in every single situation
• Reserving a whole hour on a Tuesday afternoon to luxuriously sit and read library books
• Singing one song after another of the love of God and the love for God and all the joy each creates
• Meditating on His wonderful works and the glorious splendor of His majesty (Psalm 145:5)

Rather than seeing these gifts as competitors that steal our hearts from God, perhaps we can gratefully receive them and allow God to use them to ruin us to the ways of the world.

* * *

What one word are you thinking about this year? 

RELATED:

• Part 2 – Naming the new year – Delight
• Part 1—Naming the new year – Depend

Depend and Delight—in 2011

On Christmas morning, did you see similar expressions of delight on kids’ faces as gifts were unwrapped?

JENNA OPENING GIFTS

And if you were a parent giving those gifts, didn’t you feel delight too, in the watching?

If God is the ultimate parent (and he is!), don’t you think he’s similarly pleased when we’re delighted with the gifts he gives us?

He gave us the rare gift of waking up to snow in the South on Christmas morning. And judging by the pictures that popped up all morning on Facebook, many of us were very delighted with this white gift.

MY FRONT YARD

Part 1 of my spiritual resolution for 2011 is Depend.

It will task me for greater faith and humility and obedience.
I resolve to trust God to give me gifts of grace as needed, and to work with me in faithfully handing them back out to others.

Trust the LORD, and do good things.
Live in the land, and practice being faithful.
~ Psalm 37:3 (GW)

But Part 2 of my resolution? Delight!

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
~ Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

The more I depend on him for life and breath and everything, the more I’ll delight in him! Be grateful for his gifts of grace. Rejoice in his provisions. Enjoy the pleasure of his presence.

I want to sing more, to laugh more, to be amazed more, and to be satisfied more in the Lord and the things of the Lord.

Joy is a fruit of his spirit, and I want to explore it more this year. Intentionally and consistently and purposefully. I want to look closer this year at what delights him, and delight in those things myself.

Just as Jenna and Morgan depend on Jeff and me on Christmas morning for their gifts, I want to depend on God for gifts in my future and be delighted in him when he gives them. With snow or without.

NEW EARRINGS MADE BY JENNA

* * *

Have you made any New Year Resolutions this year?

RELATED:

• Part 1: Naming the new year—“Depend”
• The Cracker Jack of pain—A surprise with every body
• 4 stages of happiness
• Can they tell you’ve been with Jesus?

All  Depend and Delight posts