That sound you hear is me taking a deep breath.

That sound you hear is me taking a deep breath. I've caught myself doing that a lot lately as I try to "come up for air" amidst all the stuff going on in our lives. As much as you try to build margin in your life, you still have to come back to the intentional effort to "clean your plate" from time-to-time. That's where I have to trust God to give me His nudges about what is necessary and what is excess in my life.

My latest reminder came this morning in Zephaniah 3:17.
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.

Think about that. God's hand created millions of things. The sunset I saw last night...His. The creation that is literally springing to life all around me every day here in Middle TN...His. The rain that will soon be watering the grass outside my office...His. Even the mosquitoes that filled my truck after baseball practice last night...His. There is not one thing that doesn't belong to Him. So, get this. When the Creator of the Universe warms up His vocal chords to break into song, what does He have in mind? Or should I say who does He have in mind? Me...and you.

Of all the things He has to rejoice over, delight in and sing about, it is my frail being. Understand this. This is no chore for Him. It is no "labor of love." God sings because God chooses to. He loves me. And He wants me to do the same.

As I am making the turn in lap 236 of the day, making the home stretch from soccer practice to church, God wants me to know He loves me and honestly seeks the same from me. I don't have to prove I'm a good baseball coach or that I pay my bills on time or that I spent time with every friend who sought it of me. He simply wants to know--at the end of all my crazy days--have I grown in my love for Him and my knowledge of Him? That reminder helps to put all things in perspective. All things.

That sound you hear in the distance? It's Daddy getting ready to sing, to sing a song of delight over me.