Daily Delights.

What makes your heart happy? ….I’ll give you a second to ponder.

Do you get enough of that in your life? If you’re anything like me, the answer is probably “no, not really”. Let’s talk about intentionally cultivating delightful things in your world so you can keep your heart vibrant. First, here’s how Merriam-Webster defines delight. It’s such a wonderful word isn’t it?

DELIGHT: (n) a high degree of gratification or pleasure; extreme satisfaction; something that gives great pleasure; (v) to take great pleasure in; to give keen enjoyment; to give joy or satisfaction to.

Selah. Let’s savor that for just a minute.

A Window into Joy

Delight sounds really good right about now and more of it in daily life sounds even better! Most of us wear many hats. As a wife, a mama, and a homeschooling teacher in process, I realize there’s a lot of pouring out that my life requires. I desire to live out of overflow but I can quickly find myself running on empty and that’s when I get snappy! In the midst of this I have learned a little secret, a window into joy if you will. I call it “Daily Delights”.

“Then I, Wisdom, was beside Him as a master and director of the work; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always,³¹ Rejoicing in His inhabited earth and delighting in the sons of men.” Proverbs 8:30-31 AMPC

I’ve learned that if I set my mind (and my to do list) on doing one delightful thing each day, it helps keep my spirits up and my tank full. This helps me keep on loving and serving those around me with a cheerful heart. I see back to back delight in the above scripture, which tells me that God values delight and He Himself has daily delights. His delight comes from creating, enjoying the works of His hands and from relationship.

My Delightful List

My delightful list has a myriad of things on it. It’s a happy jumble of items I like and enjoy and it’s tailor made for me. Some things only take a few minutes and other things call me to carve out some time for myself. If I feel myself falling by the wayside, I course correct to Daily Delights and it helps me get back on track again. Some ideas I included are:

• savoring a favorite cup of tea and some quiet
• crossing something off my to do list as “finished” (can I get a witness?!)
• reading silly jokes and laughing with my girls
• having lunch with a friend
• getting outside to look at God’s creation
• luxuriating in one piece of dark chocolate
• calling a loved one just to hear their voice
• swinging in the hammock
• a hot bath and a good book

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts for from it flow the issues of life. We also know that a cheerful heart does good for us like a medicine. You need to put yourself on the list of people who get loved and cared for in your life and practicing Daily Delights is a great tool to keeping your heart full so you can go the distance on the daily.

TDT’s (Totally Doable Tips)

You can use any or all of them. Feel free to use what works for you and leave what doesn’t.

1. Make a note of things that are delightful to you or that would delight you if you did them. Jot down anything that makes you smile, gives you a thrill of inspiration or excitement, makes you giggle or helps you exhale. Anything that feeds your soul and helps you recharge.
2. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is. Free yourself from any pressure or performance and just write a list for sheer enjoyment. Hint: anything that makes you giddy, gleeful or jump for joy should go on the list!
3. Putting something on paper helps you move your thoughts from intangible to tangible. If you don’t know where to start, ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you and bring things to your mind. He knows you better than you know yourself and is happy to help!
4. Be ok with starting small. You don’t have to go all in today unless that’s your M.O. Try working one or two things into your week and then add more as you get comfortable with this new habit. Sometimes I can only fit a few things in per week but that helps keep me balanced. We all need something to look forward to!
5. Don’t believe the lies. Undoubtedly the enemy will try to lie to you about being selfish or that you’re self-centered by investing in you. He’s miserable and therefore hates delight. He wants to make everybody else miserable too but you don’t have to play along. Even Jesus took opportunities to recharge His batteries with His Father despite the constant demands of life.
6. Give yourself permission to be creative, light-hearted and have fun! I’m enjoying becoming more childlike in wonder as I walk with God.

One last thought.

Daily Delights are just one way to keep a cheerful heart and I hope you’ll try it for yourself! You can go from snappy to happy just by implementing a few nice things for yourself into your week. Is there something that you’ve really been wanting to do? Put it on the list! A happy heart does good like medicine and the joy of the Lord is our strength. I’m always on the lookout for ways to be more creative when it comes to the practice of Daily Delights and I’d love to hear what’s on your delightful list!

Stay vibrant,

~Kim♥