God Sings? Really?

Warning: long post ahead. Hopefully your attention span is longer than the average person’s (eight whole seconds) because this is really good stuff. Grab a cup of something and take a minute. 

 

I.Love.Sparkles! Anything is better with sparkles–clothes, nails, shoes, jewelry—shoot, I’d wear sparkles on my face if I could do it without looking like I’m trying to be a three-year-old princess.

And sprinkles? They are like sparkles. Sprinkles make things like cupcakes, cookies, and doughnuts better. They are the icing on the cake with an upgrade. Sprinkles are like confetti and make us happy. The colorful bits of sugar look festive and make us feel like life has a bit of special added.

And that, my dear, is you! You are amazing with a side of sprinkles. Not just a few on top but a whole side dish of sprinkles that you shower on people like a fairy godmother. You give our lives sparkle—like “here’s some for you, and some for you, and some for YOU!”

You bring joy and make us feel festive just by being you.

Don’t believe it? Perhaps you feel that you have never, ever added joy, festivities, and sparkle to people’s lives? I understand. I did too. But you won’t believe it until you realize what a gift you are—what a delight.

And here’s the wonderful thing. You don’t have to be anything different from what you are. In fact, when you are truly real and honest, when you are able to understand your heart and longings, your gifts and abilities, and embrace your character and passions, the better able you are to spread those sprinkles around into people’s lives.

Our world needs you—the real you. You are a gift to us. You bring delight into the lives of those around you.

But. Here’s the deal (you were thinking there was a catch, huh? You thought this was too good to be true, I know.) The deal? The big trip-you-up-and-make-you-stumble deal? You have to BELIEVE it.

Oh, well then, just forget it. Right? Because there is no way you are ever going to believe that you bring delight—and sparkle, for goodness sake—into people’s lives. There are days you can hardly stand yourself. I’ve felt like that too. But remember, it’s not about your behavior; it’s about who you are. You are loved by God. Period.

I felt like such a flawed version of myself. It all boiled down to not being enough. I was pleasing people so I could be worthy, seeking the approval of others, and living afraid that I was saying/doing/being the wrong thing. Tense all the time and highly alert.

Finally, one day I just decided I was plenty tired of the suffering caused by listening to lies that ran through my brain on a constant loop. I decided I was going to choose to do something about it. (The whole process is written here if you’d like to read more.)

Because, there was this verse in the Bible (you knew I was going to bring God into this, right?) that I just couldn’t get past. It was the big trip-me-up deal. It seemed daring and unbelievable, too good to be true. That verse?

It says that God delights over us with singing! He WHAT? Not only does He find delight in us but He SINGS about it? Whooee, can you even imagine a thing?

What kind of verse is this? Can it be real?

Read this, dear friends:

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you by His love;

He will exult over you with loud singing.“

(English Standard Version) Zephaniah 3:17

Oh.my.goodness!

And in this translation from the Brenton Septuagent Translation:

“The Lord thy God is in thee; the Mighty One shall save thee,

He shall bring joy upon thee, and shall refresh thee with His love,

and He shall rejoice over thee with delight as in a day of feasting.”

Now do you see it? God feels about us like we might a party we have looked forward to. But this isn’t just a party—it’s a feast with lots of food and dancing with abandon and singing—lots of singing and music. Joy, such joy!

“Delight” means to please someone greatly, a strong feeling of happiness, and a great pleasure or satisfaction.

Can you even imagine such a thing? Our God–the creator of heaven and earth–is strongly satisfied with us! So much so that He takes great pleasure in us and has strong feelings of happiness when He thinks about us. And when we take time to go to him and seek his company I imagine that he’s ecstatic!

It truly boggles my mind. I am so flawed. I have been so broken. How (or why) in the world would God feel that way about me? About us?

Because He loves us. Honestly we have no clue what God’s love is like, because we only have humans to illustrate love. And goodness, is that ever a distorted picture of pure, unconditional love!

After years and years of reading God’s letter to us, of trying to listen to His voice, of seeking Him with my whole heart and asking Him for truth, I am thoroughly convinced that the words in this verse are for real.

To me it’s one of the most important (and often overlooked) scriptures in the Bible. It illustrates the essence of God’s love for us:

He will save us

He will calm and quiet us

He delights in us

Talk about got it covered! Not only is He a warrior who fights for us, rescues and saves us (delivers us from the hand of the enemy) but He also is like a nurturing mother who calms an afraid and distressed child. I visualize the soothing arms as she gently rocks her child, whispering consoling words and reassurance that she is there and will take care of whatever is frightening them.

And then there’s the part of delighting in us. I don’t know about you, but my heart always longed to be cherished and unconditionally love, to be enjoyed for who I am. And yes, for someone to take delight in me.

When I finally realized that God, my Abba Daddy, felt all those thing for me, and began to receive that truth into my spirit, my search was over.

Yes, I’d heard the scripture for many years. But I hadn’t internalized its truth. And just like with the John 3:16 verse that tells us God loved us to much He sacrificed His precious son in order to give us access to Him and eternal life, I had to choose to believe and receive this verse too.

I had to make the choice to embrace the truth of it.

I had to allow its truth to change my life and thoughts regarding myself and who God is.

Was it easy? IS it easy? Nope, my brain still wants to return to my flaws, sins, and disappointing behavior. It continually blows my mind that God, in all His holiness, would find great delight in ME!

And please, do not for one second think that He can take pleasure in me because I’m such a good person. Remember that God sees the heart. And y’all, no matter what I do, thoughts that aren’t loving, kind, and generous pop into my brain. I do things that hurt others. And though I strive not to, I sometimes sin. I’m a flawed human, just like everyone.

So just because I’ve managed, for the most part, to clean up my act over the years, that doesn’t make me better than you or more loveable. That’s the beauty of God’s gift of love—it’s a gift. Nothing we do could ever win His love. He just loves us, unconditionally. Definitely mind-blowing!

And what about me, the person who was always “too much” this, and “not enough” that? I’ve come to realize that not only am I okay, but absolutely enough and very worthy (as we all are). What is the truth that fills me with joy, puts a bounce in my step, and allows me to be unconcerned about what others think?

That the Almighty God who created the universe loves me and takes great delight and pleasure in me!

Mull that truth for a minute. Meditate on it and allow its truth to permeate your spirit.

And if that isn’t life-changing for you, then I surely don’t know what is! Perhaps nothing ever will be.

“I am truly His rose, the very theme of His song.”

Song of Solomon 2:1

I know this was a long one, and thank you for reading all the way if you got this far. My prayer is that these words will change your life. 

Many blessings, Mimi