Do I Make Him Happy?
…He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
We all say and do some dumb stuff. I used to say to myself, “Sure hope God’s not watching right about now.” I knew full well that He saw me but if there was the slightest chance He might have missed that antic or comment, I would have been truly relieved.
He must really look at some of us and simply shake His head saying, “What was he thinking?” or “She is really something!” He never sings out of key, but we certainly do.
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In my lifetime, I have come to much the same conclusion as Sarah Young as she writes about how Jesus looks at her:
I am pleased with you, My child. Allow yourself to become fully aware of My pleasure shining upon you. You don’t have to perform well in order to receive My love. In fact, a performance focus will pull you away from Me, toward some sort of Pharisaism. This can be a subtle form of idolatry: worshiping your own good works. It can also be a source of deep discouragement when your works don’t measure up to your expectations.
Shift your focus from your performance to My radiant Presence. The Light of My Love shines on you continually, regardless of your feelings or behavior. Your responsibility is to be receptive to this unconditional Love. Thankfulness and trust are your primary receptors. Thank Me for everything; trust in Me at all times. These simple disciplines will keep you open to My loving Presence.
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She makes it sound so simple. Giving up our performance focus is a discipline that we must practice. But when we let go, we experience a deeper sensation of peace and joy from the inside out. It is sort of like being in love where we enjoy each other and want to spend time together.
Do I make Him happy? I am sure that He smiles (and He probably chuckles) when He thinks of me. He might even break out in a song of His own creation.
Gracious Father, thank You for patience with us. You are worthy of more than I can offer, but what I give You is from my heart. We desire to see Your smile more each day. AMEN.