By: Lauren Thomas
Delight is a word that captures the essence of the Christmas season. Delight is “great pleasure.” To delight is to “take great pleasure in.” Though “delight” might not be a word we use much, the significance of this word at Christmas goes beyond what you might first imagine.
Delight is an essential ingredient in relationships. There are five conditions that promote secure attachment between caregiver and infant. One of these conditions is to feel valued. For this condition to be met, the caregiver must express delight over the infant. Though the foundation for this condition is laid during the first 18 months of life, it is one that is built upon through childhood, adolescence and even adulthood. We express delight naturally with babies and toddlers, praising and applauding even the faintest efforts they make at talking or walking. For them to just smile elicits our beaming smile in return.
It reminds me of the blessing spoken of Israel:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26 ESV
To be valued, to feel the delight of another, is something we long for, no matter our age. And we long for it with our Heavenly Father, not just the people we are in relationship with. We long for His face to shine upon us.
And isn’t that what Christmas is? A demonstration of our Father’s delight toward us in gifting us light, His Son.
2The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
6For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
Isaiah 9:2, 6a ESV
The delight we long for has been expressed to us in the light of God’s Son.
As children grow up, the expressed delight they receive decreases. Many adults in relationships fail to express delight and do not feel delighted in. What would it look like if we began to express delight toward the adults we love and cherish? It might look like expressing gratitude toward them. It might look like generosity with words of kindness, praise of positive qualities, looking them in the eye and smiling.
Delight is an essential ingredient in our relationships. And delight is essential to Christmas because it is the very meaning of Christmas: God’s light shining upon us in Christ, His son.
This Christmas season, bask in the light of God’s great pleasure toward you. And consider how you can spread your delight toward loved ones.
Reflection:
Can you think of examples of expressed delight? Who in your life has shown delight toward you? How can you express delight toward others?
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