Overall Takeaway

It’s often difficult to believe that God delights in us because, as fallen human beings, we fail to affirm and delight in one another.

“I will make of you a great nation,

And I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

So that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you

And curse those who curse you.”

“He saved us and called us to a holy life,

Not according to our works

But according to His own design

And the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

“While He was still speaking, behold,

A bright cloud cast a shadow over them,

Then from the cloud came a voice that said,

‘This is my beloved Son, with who I am well pleased;

Listen to Him.”

We learn about God the Father through our earthly fathers or father-figures in our lives. If our own fathers were distant, absent or abusive, our understanding of God the Father is often erroneous.

Parents need to delight in their children, not simply provide for their physical needs and tolerate them. They need to cherish and value children for who they are, not what they do.

By blessing and affirming one another with kindness and gentleness, we can spread that blessing, which ultimately comes from God, to those around us.

God is not interested in micromanaging us; if we work to seek His will for our lives, He will delight in us because we are made in His image and likeness. We have much room for creativity in how we do His will.

Jesus, in His humanity, needed to hear His father say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” We, in our humanity, need to feel that God delights in us as His beloved son or daughter.

Use an image that speaks to you about receiving God’s love. While you’re praying, imagine yourself as a child sitting on God’s lap, having your feet washed by Jesus, swaddled as a baby in St. Joseph’s arms, or any other picture that can help you experience God’s love in a human way.

Bless or affirm someone this week, not for what they do, but for who they are.