What Gives You Pleasure?

 

                               Pleasure: A feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment.

Who do you love so much that your heart pitter patters? Who affects you so much that you are in fairytale land and you can't think straight at times? Who fills your calendar up, your days and hours?Who has captured your heart that your life, mind and days are given to that person? What insurmountable pleasure do you get from him or them?

What is it that you want very much? What is it that draws you, then pulls you? What is it that motivates and energizes you and your day flys by? What tangible thing do you want so much that it draws your attention and pulls you into action? What do you derive such pleasure from that everything else can wait?

This morning those questions filled my mind and my heart  as I prayed for my children. The reality struck me.

I do love my treasures- Ben, my husband of 35 years has the ability to excite me. Just last night I was looking at him admiring him still, and I loved him more. He can break my heart, that's how much my heart is in his hand. He can steal my days and fill them with him and maybe I would complain, but in the end I would give him my time and strength. After my husband are my children. Oh they have a way to get me to help them and stop my life to focus on theirs. They are fun loving people. I get so much pleasure from light conversation with laughter or deep talks that make me appreciate them more. 

I love reading a good book and get so caught up I'll ignore my chores. I can also get caught up in a good podcast. When I have a coffee date with my bestie, it can go on for hours, theres so much to catch up on. I love to have company, the more the better. Although I'm tired, and regardless of my budget,  I love to serve up delicious meals. In these things my pleasure abounds. 

I love sunny days. I love a picked and clean house. I love hugs and kisses from my grandchildren. I love hearing their baby voices.  I love...

These are a few of my pleasures. 

Another pleasure I've experienced is the incredible tangible presence of the Lord God as I'm praying. When I'm feeling the warring of  my flesh, He grabs my attention: James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this,that your passions (pleasures) are at war within you? I do a fact check assessment of my life, it's like picking up all the mess and now I can sup with Jesus and get a right perspective. It is a restful pleasure indeed! When I'm in turmoil, He soothes me.  James 1:5 If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. So gracious and so kind when I draw near to him. Then, when things are all straightened out I can ask God, I can bring my petitions to him with confidence. James 4:3 You ask and do not recieve because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (pleasures). 

A final thought about the pleasure. Sometimes, there are people or things in this life that we are fiercely defensive about. We appropriate these things. There are people we will sacrifice everything for. We lose sleep, time and money to keep that certain pleasure. We plan our days to include our pleasure into them. We rise early for our pleasure, we stay up late for our pleasure. 

Oh that we could be like that about our relationship and time with Jesus. Our prayer time. Jesus knocks at the door of our heart, I don't know if he knocks everyday, or just once a day, but it's a fact that he knocks. Rev 3:20. IF we hear him?! But IF he is our pleasure why wouldn't we hear and immediately open the door to him? Why in the world Christian, would you not make room in your day to sup with Jesus? Or cut out the whole day for Him? There is pleasure in communion with Jesus.