This IS Glamour, Baby!

Why, hello! It's me...Nikki. You may not recognize me because for the better part of three weeks I've been covered in puke, snot, phlegm, poop, and most other kinds of bodily emissions. My dear sweet children have been sick, passed it around, picked it up again, passed it around, and are now - Glory to God! - well again.

The mothering life is full of glamour, isn't it? Cleaning up puke, cleaning up splatters of said puke five days later when you realized you missed it the first time, wiping noses, doing laundry, making beds, making meals, listening to whining about said meals, picking up toys, retrieving said toys from toilet, and the list goes on. Lather, rinse, repeat. Day in. Day out. Same thing. Over. And over. And over again. If only I had my own personal Alice from the Brady Bunch or had a nanny or two like I see those Hollywood starlets have (hello, Angelina Jolie has SIX nannies! What on earth?!), maybe my mothering life would seem more glamorous. Maybe I wouldn't be so completely exhausted. Maybe the scale wouldn't reflect a woman who had buffalo chicken dip and Mountain Dew for breakfast.

But maybe I wouldn't be the first person my children want when they're sick.

But maybe I wouldn't have mine be the name they call when they need help.

But maybe I wouldn't be the one they want to hold their hand and make everything better.

But maybe I wouldn't the one that makes them smile with my corny jokes.

But maybe I wouldn't know just the right blanket or stuffed animal to help them rest.

And if even one of those "maybes" were true, my heart would be broken and I would be missing out on what God has for me and what He wants to do in me. But none of those "maybes" are true. And as far as I'm concerned, that's pretty glamorous.

Delight!

Tonight I went to the grocery store and brought home "The Princess and The Frog" fruit snacks for Cana. She squealed with delight and was so excited she could hardly stand it. Such a simple and cheap thing, but to her precious three year-old heart, it was like she hit the lottery. She realized she was special. She realized she was valued. She realized that her momma was thinking about just her. She couldn't have been more delighted. And neither could I.

Throughout the weekend of our Bethcation, Lara and I were just thrilled with all of the fun things that were transpiring. At one point, Lara and I were discussing how God loves to shower His kids with kindness (see Matthew 7:11) and she said, "I feel like God is up in heaven right now saying to Gabriel, 'Watch this! This is going to send those two over the top! This is so fun! Wait until they see what's next!'"

Psalm 18:19, "He brought me out into a spacious place, He rescued me because He delighted in me."

Psalm 149:4, "For the Lord takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with salvation."

Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

You see, just like I delight in my own kids and seeing their faces light up, Scripture teaches us that God delights in us. He delights in us. Us. Broken, sin-filled us. Helpless little us. He really just can't help Himself. He adores what He's made. Each individual heart is valued so much. Every single one of us is precious. When each of us is born, we are new and wonderful and delightful to Him. And He is always looking for ways to show us He delights in us. He takes great pleasure in seeing His children in awe over His goodness. He's just sweet like that.

Throughout me and Lara's weekend, I just kept saying, "This is too much. It's just too much, Lord." From presidential suites to pictures with Beth to precious new friends and reunions with old friends, the way God was working was just too much. I felt so loved. So delighted in. So satisfied. I thought for sure that God was done. There really couldn't be anymore delight to be had. And then I got to Harrisburg.

My flight back got in pretty late so my dear mother offered to watch my children so I didn't have to drive the two hours back to her house that evening. My dad gets a zillion free hotel nights for his job and so he gave me some and I checked myself into a hotel in Harrisburg. (Even my earthly parents both love giving good gifts to their children, and can we all agree that a night alone in a hotel room is a good gift for a mother of three young children? Amen and amen.) As I was checking in and inquiring about the NFL playoff game that was on the TV, the clerk said, "Well, you'll have plenty of places to watch it in your room because there are four flat screens in there." I laughed, thinking he was joking and went on my merry way.

As I wheeled my luggage down the hall to my room, I stopped and nearly peed my pants (apparently this is a theme with me...) The sign on my door read: Presidential Suite. Seriously, God? Seriously?! You just can't help yourself, can You? Twice in one weekend? It's like you're sitting on the edge of Your throne just waiting to make me squeal in delight. And squeal I did when I called Lara to tell her about my flat screens in my two-bedroom suite with my free breakfast buffet and the hot tub that I had to swim seven strokes to get across. Delight!

How has God shown you His delight lately? Because He has. It might be you getting a good parking space. Or a clean mammogram. Or a hug from a four year-old. But there is delight in your life. It's there. Celebrate it. Smile about it. Squeal over it. And then don't forget to thank Him.

Thanks, God, for Your delight. I sure do love You. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a little girl who I'd like to watch eat some fruit snacks. Delight!