Dangling With Delight

(by Lorie Codispoti)

“Higher, Daddy! Push me higher!” Our nine-year-old daughter was elated as she soared into the air on the first ride of her new tree swing.

A few minutes before, she was instructed to straddle the rope as her daddy lifted her up on the board. She enthusiastically bounced around as her feet dangled between the swing and the ground. The anticipation of Daddy’s first push sent sounds of giddy laughter echoing through the woods.

This was no wimpy tree swing. Prior to its construction, my husband assured me that careful consideration had been factored into the location of the swing, as well as his articulate planning to connect the perfectly sized board seat to the chosen tree limb with a rope that came with a up-to-500-pound weight warranty.

When my husband builds something, you can count on two things: 1) It’s going to be secure. 2) It will outlast every other model. For this swing it was important that any rider choosing to mount and careen over the embankment do so with unwavering confidence. A thrill ride without the theme park, this swing had the look and feel of something you might read about in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. For several decades, our kids and their friends enjoyed riding, especially after it got dark outside. (FYI: The swing died after 25 years, but only because the limb gave way in a storm.)

When I reminisce over the sheer delight of our daughter’s first ride, I am reminded of what the Bible says in Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do your will, O God.”

Hmm... Do I? Would “delight” describe how I feel when my spiritual feet are dangling? Personally, I don’t care for the tension between anticipation and anxiety. I want full control over the swing and where it’s taking me, and I don’t trust that the Person coming up behind me is going to push me in the right direction, and not send me spinning out of control into the side of the tree.

Dangling with delight is an acquired skill. Our daughter was able to find joy in those moments of dangling, before her ride, because she trusted in one thing - her father. She felt secure in his ability to provide her with a durable and dependable swing because she knew him.

Isaiah 58:14 says, “…delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth…”

When we take the time to delight in our Father, and trust His plan for our lives, it won’t take much for us to jump up on that swing and cheerfully shout, “Higher Daddy! Push me higher!”