A gentle correction...

This is a bit long winded but bear with me...
Many times in my life God corrects me by downloading a series of thoughts into my mind. He allows me the time to process them. It's as if He's gently leading my thoughts and guiding them to the conclusion that they need to come too in order to change my ways. That may sound bizarre. But hey! There are many bizarre things in our world that we take for normal and don't even bat an eye at. For me, this is a normal occurrence. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Tonight we had home group. And it came up, in what we were studying, that God delights in us if we are His child. He may correct us but He never takes His delight from us even in the midst of that time of correction. This set me to thinking. Growing up I received correction (or discipline) from my parents. My dad would take his "delight" from me when he would discipline me. It seemed to be a very conditional love. It seemed, to me, more of a "you be perfect and I'll be happy with you...you mess up and I won't even talk to you or look at you I'm so disgusted with you" kind of love. As if by adding his disgust I would really get the point much better The way my dad handled it is not the point, by the way. The point is the fact that God delights in ME NO MATTER WHAT I DO...because I am His daughter. I'm just starting to grasp this concept...that it's even possible.
I am His daughter because I accepted the gift of salvation that He held out to me. In accepting I chose to accept the great exchange. A life for a life. I was bought for a price. Jesus gave His life for mine. My life is no longer mine but His. I do not live for my own interests or desires but His. This is a choice I make every second of every day. And in that acceptance of His gift I became His daughter and He delights in me. I thought I had better explain how I became His daughter in case it was foggy :). If it's still foggy ask me about it :). I would be happy to talk about it with you.
OK back to being delighted in...the next thought that crossed my mind was as question. How do I discipline or correct my children? Is it so that they still know I delight in them or is it a conditional discipline? You know those moments within the quiet of your heart when you know the honest answer the instant you ask the question? It was one of those moments. To my great shame, more times than naught, I must say it would be the latter.
This brought me to the next thought. I needed to repent of this way of being. This was not in line with my life not being my own. This way of being was very much for MY interests and desires...not His. By being this way I am misrepresenting my Daddy...shaming the family. Webster's dictionary defines the word repent like this: "to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life". To turn from and go the other way. My whole life part of my ritual for repentance (b/c I have repented for countless things in my lifetime thus far)...was something like this...pray and ask God to forgive me...then I choose to wallow in shame, guilt, and condemnation for a few days. Then I would allow myself to go on and go about turning from my ways. This, by the way, is a stupid ritual that has nothing to do with God or what He says He does once we repent.
As I was sitting there in home group tonight God reminded me of a story about Joshua. Joshua was a general of the Israelite army. He was not only the general he was the leader of a nation of about 3 million people. Anyway, in the book of Joshua there is a story of Joshua completely messing up. I mean he messed up BADLY. (if you want the complete story http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=6&chapter=9&version=65 make special note of vs. 14 and then keep reading until the end of Joshua...it's interesting). BUT Joshua repented and and he came boldly before God. And you know what? God turned his and Israel's sin into a greater thing than if they hadn't sinned at all b/c they truly repented. God fought for and gave 5 kings and kingdoms into Joshua's hands (think Afghanistan, mountains, caves, gorilla warfare...without all the modern day technology). It was the day that he asked God to have the sun and moon stand still (Joshua 10:12-14). There is a deception that says "Since I've done wrong I'm not longer permitted to be bold in the presence of God." Well this story should obliterate that lie from our enemy.
Having been reminded on that story I did something I have never done before, especially when it comes to messing up with my children...these most precious treasures that God has entrusted to Shaun and I. I looked into God my Father's face and repented (that's not the unusual part). I believed Him when He said, "And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him (Psalms 103:11-13)". That's the unusual part...usually I would wallow in the condemnation for awhile before I allowed myself to be forgiven. I turned from my wrong way. With His strength I will walk in the way that He has said is best...and you can see that delighting in your children, no matter what, is the best way...
I think about the times that I find great delight in my children...have you ever looked at a picture of a mom or dad just looking at their child with delight...it's a true thing of beauty. I just scanned through the pictures I have on my computer and found quite a few of a lot of our friends and family delighting in their kids. If we fall able humans can take great delight in our children how much more can God delight in us!
Here's some verses from the Bible...
Psalms 103: 6-18
God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he's rich in love.
He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we're made of mud.
Men and women don't live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here.
God's love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said."

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." Zephaniah 3:17