Finding Delight in the Things of the Lord-Heather Harston

Delight. I truly love this word. Looking to the dictionary we can define delight as a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; or rapture. [1] This word has strong emotions attached to it. Is there one of us who doesn’t want to feel delight or delight in something? There are many things that cause delight. Family, friends, entertainment, and hobbies are just a few. I wish to talk more about finding delight, and not just anywhere but finding delight in the things of the Lord. We can learn to find delight by following the examples of those before us. We can delight in the scriptures, in righteousness, in our heavenly lineage, and in the blessings from our Lord.

Nephi bears his soul in his “psalm” that can be found in 2 Nephi 4. He shares that his “soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and profit of my children.” [2] We can learn much from Nephi here. First Nephi says his soul delights, so he finds joy in the scriptures. We too can find joy and delight in the scriptures. It’s important to develop a habit of scripture study. I have found in my life that as I got into a regular habit, my reading started to come more from my desire to partake of the joy I feel when reading that it did to fulfill an assignment or to check of my scripture reading for the day. I truly delight in the time I spend reading the scriptures. Next his heart ponders. The word ponder means to do more than just read the scriptures, but to study them in depth. Don’t just taste the words on the page but feast on the messages shared. There are so many things to be learned from the scriptures if we just have the desire to learn the truths taught. The third thing Nephi does is keep a journal to benefit those coming after him. This may not seem like that big of a deal but our journals can be like our own personal scripture. They can remind us in times of trial the scriptures or events in our lives that brought us motivation. Also our children and grand children and great grandchildren can read from them and learn more about us and gain strength from our testimonies. These are all examples of things we can and should delight in.

Again from Nephi we can learn to truly delight. Nephi states so simply yet so beautifully that “my soul abhorreth in sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God.” [3] Many times in my life I have been asked if it is hard to be a member of the LDS church, if I found it restrictive, and if I was still going to go to church when I moved out of my house. These questions surprised me when I first heard them. Like Nephi, I too delight in righteousness. I love knowing that, for the most part, my will is in accordance with the will of the Lord. I find I am truly a happier person when obeying the commandments and embracing righteous actions. I don’t find the church restrictive, quite the opposite in fact. When I am in accordance to the teachings and commandments of the church I am in high spirits and have the burdens of the world lifted a little more off my shoulders. As for continuing with church after moving out, that thought never entered my head. It was difficult for me to leave home. I have such a wonderful family that anyone would have had a hard time leaving. But the church is like an extended family. Not only that but I can’t just walk away from what I know to be true. I am a better person after following the will of my Father. In fact I would even quote David in saying “I delight to do thy will, O my God” [4] The Lord even delights in righteousness. “The prayer of the upright is his delight.” [5]

Each and every one of us is a loved child of God. This is something that can bring great delight into each of our lives. Each of us one time or another has questioned, who am I? Dallin H. Oaks answers this question beautifully. He says “I am a child of God with a spiritual lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life.” [6] When we come to accept this, to apply it to ourselves, and really delight in the fact, it can become one of our greatest strengths. It is a powerful thought to know, that each of us have this eternal potential. How happy are we to know that there is a plan for us, and that our Lord God himself loves us unconditionally! How can we not delight in this. Not only can we delight in this fact, but the Lord does too. “The Lord delight[s] in us.” [7] The Lord knows and loves each of us as an individual. He delights in our success and righteousness. This is another thought that brings me overwhelming comfort and joy.

We are blessed with so much. As stated before, the Lord delights in us and therefore wants to bless us. Our Heavenly Father almost looks for excuses to bless us. There is no secret about this. The Lord declares to us, “Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless.” [8] Again the Lord speaks to us and says “I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.” [9] We are blessed in so many different ways. Everything we have, every single thing, is a blessing from God. When we acknowledge his hand in everything we can be humbled and have a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father. We can understand this delight all through our lives. There is a hymn that captures this idea beautifully. “ Dearest children, God is near you, watching o’er you day and night, and delights to own ad bless you if you strive to do what’s right. He will bless you, He will bless you, if you put your trust in him. [10]

There are so many things to delight in. We have the scriptures, we can embrace righteousness, our heavenly family, and the blessings we receive. When I think about all the things in my life that I can find joy in, the things that bring sadness into my life don’t have quite the hold on me as they once did. I would encourage each of you to delight in the things of the Lord, and to rise above the sorrows of the world and the trials we encounter and bask in the light and the love of the Lord and delight in his goodness.

[1] Dictionary.com

[2] 2 Nephi 4:15

[3] 2 Nephi 9:49

[4] Psalms 40:8

[5]Proverbs 15:8

[6] Dallin H. Oaks “Powerful Ideas” Ensign Nov 1995

[7] Numbers 14:8

[8] Doctrine and Covenants 41:1

[9] Doctrine and Covenants 76:5

[10] Hymn 96