You know when a phrase just keeps popping into your head, you begin seeing it in the shops written on journals, and then a friend buys you a bowl with those words on it and you know you have no choice but to fully embrace it?

Well, to delight in and enjoy the little things is something I’ve made a big, bolded, exclamation-marked decision to do this year.

To delight in something simply means to take a great amount of pleasure and enjoyment in.

And it’s often with the little things in life we forget to do this with.

Sometimes we can be so caught up in achieving the goal ahead that we miss the opportunity presented before us to delight in each step of the journey leading to it.

I don’t want to go through life only remembering the big things – I want to know that I enjoyed and appreciated each and every piece of it. Right from the finer details, the seemingly ordinary like breakfast and the scenery on the way to work, the things that get stuck in the cracks of our life, the dirt, the sunshine, setbacks, progresses, tears and smiles.

Because after all, isn’t that what a full life is all about? Enjoying each and every part of it?

Robert Brault once said, “Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realise they were the big things.”

And in the end, our overall life is made up of hundreds and thousands of little days. Each day is a small snapshot of experiences and daily doings that when put together tell the tale of our life.

If we only take delight in, admire and respect the big, we’ll miss out on enjoying a great chunk of our life. Think about your life in terms of a story – sure, the describing words and events are pivotal moments adding colour to the story, but without words like ‘and’, ‘but’, and ‘however’ those events stand alone.

That’s what delighting in the little things is all about – appreciating the seemingly insignificant in each day. If we neglect to do this, how can we possibly delight and appreciate our life in its fullness?

Take a step back right now and think about or write a list of the little things you can or have delighted in today.

My list: hot tea, the sounds of birds chirping outside the window, belonging to and serving my local church, cooking, studying, learning, connecting to people around the globe through social media, writing, pondering beautiful quotes, walking, conversations with the best of friends, brunch, and laughing.

As the sun rises on each new day, remember to take time to delight in each of the little things that come your way.

Sit back and let your ears enjoy a little spring goodness.

What’s your current favorite song?

Let us know and you may just see it on next month’s playlist!

I am so excited to share with you something the team at A Woman Inspired is doing over the next six weeks: an in-depth Bible study on the book of Ephesians. 

We have six weeks of MP3s, videos, downloads, and study time prepared for you. It is so easy to sign up and is going to be so encouraging once you do! Amy is leading chapters 1 & 2, Victoria is leading 3 & 4, and I am leading 5 & 6.

Hop on over there and join the study fun: Sign up for Ephesians.

It was one of those first days of spring when the sky was crayon blue. I jumped in the car after finishing an errand, ready to move on to better things. Responding to the weather’s invitation, I put down the windows, turned up the music, and put the car in reverse. Quickly glancing from side to side and checking my mirrors, everything looked clear.

A fleeting thought and a ringtone from my phone drew my attention downward to check the display, just for a moment, the same moment I pressed on the gas pedal to back up. Pressing on the brake to shift the car into drive and lifting my eyes, I caught sight of an angry man coming around the side of my vehicle. He had just dodged my car.

In the moment I looked away from my focus, he stepped into my blind spot, and it nearly cost him his life. In that fleeting moment, I realized that taking my eyes away from my focus nearly changed my life, too. A momentary distraction has the power to change our life forever.

While we can’t avoid every hazard or accident, God sheds light on our path to help us know how to avoid being thrown off course. “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil,” (Proverbs 4:26-27).  To “ponder” is to weigh something carefully, to make sure it is balanced. When we are on the path to claiming the dreams God has for us, it only takes a small distraction to derail us and throw us off balance, causing us to swerve from our focus.

As the academic year comes to a close for many students, it’s not easy to stay the course. Hints of summer invite us to turn our attention to newer things. Special events, celebrations, and excitement call to us from our right and our left, enticing us to step away from God’s path and dance into uncharted territory. Girls stepping over the threshold of a graduation from one season into the next may be eager to experiment and satisfy their curiosity about new experiences, even feeling the urge to embrace more independence. People and opportunities will lead to decisions, and each one will either keep you on course or turn you away from it. As the world opens before us, we see more options “to the right or to the left” than ever before. A moment of carelessness could cost you a lifetime of sorrow.

Persevering through final assignments, cumulative exams, and regular responsibilities starts to feel redundant and dull. It’s tempting just to put down the windows of life, turn up the music, and pull away from the end of the year without staying focused on the path or the hard work that leads to God’s best for us.  To “turn” our foot from evil is to turn aside, avoid, and remove ourselves from what would give pain and bring misery (evil).

Worldly things will promise greater satisfaction than God’s straight way; there is a battle for your soul and your future. While you might be alert and on guard against the “big” things that would lead to disaster for your plans and hopes, the enemy may only need to put a small, momentary distraction in the way of your blind spot to throw you off course and change your life.

A momentary distraction has the power to change our life forever.  Our way will be firm, established, and able to endure if we weigh the decisions we make carefully, especially on sun filled days when the our hearts are bold and our spirits free.

Keep your eyes and your feet pointed firmly on the path in front of you. He has a blue sky future planned for you, and you don’t want to miss it.

 Knowing Your Hope

• Your hope brings answers. (Psalm 38:15)
• Your hope is good. (Psalm 52:9)
• Your hope offers rest. (Psalm 62:5)
• Your hope is confident. (Psalm 71:5)
• Your hope is faithful in love. (Psalm 130:7)
• Your hope makes you happy. (Psalm 146:5)
• Your hope has a future. (Proverbs 24:14)
• Your hope is in mercy that never ends. (Lamentations 3:21)
• Your hope is a result of proven character. (Romans 5:4)
• Your hope does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)
• Your hope endures and is encouraged through study the Scriptures. (Romans 15:4)
• Your hope overflows with the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:24)
• Your hope remains, along with faith and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
• Your hope delivers. (2 Corinthians 1:10)
• Your hope makes you bold. (2 Corinthians 3:12)
• Your hope brings the Messiah praise to His glory. (Ephesians 1:12)
• Your hope is in the message of truth. (Colossians 1:5)
• Christ is in you and this is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
• Your hope gets you through grief. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
• Your hope is a helmet of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
• Your hope is by grace. (2 Thessalonians 2:16)
• Your hope is one of eternal life. (Titus 1:2)
• Your hope is blessed. (Titus 3:7)
• Your hope is one of courage and confidence. (Hebrews 3:6)
• Your hope is an anchor. (Hebrews 6:19)
• Your hope is faith realized. (Hebrews 11:1)
• Your hope lives. (1 Peter 1:3)
• Your hope purifies. (1 John 3:3)
• Your hope is Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:1)
• Your hope is in the living God. (1 Timothy 4:10)