Delighted Children
The question is not whether God delights in his children. He does. The question is twofold: One, what is it about us that he delights in? And two, why does he tell us that he delights in us? What effect does he want it to have? (When I say "God," I mean all that God is for us in Christ.
I mean the triune, Christian God.) First, notice some of the texts that speak of God's delight in his. Instead of being concerned or confused about his relationship with his parent, a child feeling a parent's delight can focus his attention on discovering what he is capable of and developing his gifts and skills without having to waste energy pleasing his parent or worrying if he is going to be rejected. But it gets even better.
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Delighting in Our Children, Trillia Newbell. The parents I work with have children that lived their first several months or even years with a marked lack of being delighted in, so, because they do not know any better, they do not desire to be delighted in and, rather than feeling good, being delighted in can actually be scary, or intimidating to the child. We love our children, but do we delight in them? Listen in as Trace Embry discusses what righteousness and wisdom have to do with delighting in our kids.
While Matthew's focus in Jesus' baptism is the fulfillment of God's will and character - to "carry out all that God requires" (Matthew 3:15). Life gets busy though, and we can bowl over our children with our adulting and our to-do list if we don't slow down and stop to delight in our children. Wanting to be delighted in.
Positive delighted kids looking at each other Stock Photo - Alamy
That's really all I wanted as a child, and it brings me to tears just thinking about that now. The loneliness in school, the wanting to find my place in this world. Children need to first be confident of our love for them-to feel loved-before we teach and correct them.
Indeed, research shows it is through experiencing unconditional love and delight that our children grow up to be kind, compassionate and loving adults. So what does it look like to delight in our children? When I was a kid, my grandfather was the one who delighted in my presence. When I walked into a room, his arms opened wide, his face literally lit up, and he welcomed me with a greeting like, "Hello, beautiful!" followed by an embrace and a sincere question about something that mattered.
Positive delighted children looking at each other Stock Photo - Alamy
Caregivers' delight in children builds self-worth and secure attachment. Discover the importance of showing children they're valuable just as they are.
