Back at the beginning of January (so long ago!), I took the Dayspring 2019 Your Word of the Year Quiz. I don’t put a lot of hope and promise into these things but was interested in seeing what came up. I took the quiz again tonight (because I couldn’t remember my word – ha – apparently I need to work on retention!) Delight. My word for 2019 is ‘delight.’ I honestly thought it might be rest, or peace, or strength, but no – it’s ‘delight.’

I don’t associate deeply with this word. It doesn’t bring up any heartfelt connotations or even make me really truly feel like, yes, delight, it is THE word that speaks to me. It just doesn’t… but maybe I haven’t looked at it deeply enough?

I dug into the dictionary. Oxford Dictionary describes delight as both a verb and a noun, most definitions having to do with pleasure – finding pleasure in something, causing pleasure, great pleasure itself.

The synonyms, however, are what tickled my fancy!

• please greatly, charm, enchant, captivate, entrance, bewitch, thrill, excite, take someone’s breath away
• gladden, gratify, appeal to, do someone’s heart good, entertain, amuse, divert
• take great pleasure, find great pleasure, glory, revel, luxuriate, wallow
• adore, love, relish, savour, enjoy greatly, lap up
• pleasure, happiness, joy, joyfulness, glee, gladness, gratification, relish, excitement, amusement
• bliss, rapture, ecstasy, elation, euphoria
• transports of delight

So maybe we can make this work? Perhaps for 2019 I can make delight my word. I can find charm in everyday moments. I can do someone’s heart good through acts of kindness. I can revel in my accomplishments and reinforced boundaries. I can savour time alone to rest and recharge. I can discover joy in my family. I can discover elation in the company of my friends. I can live in transports of delight as I walk in strength and grace and patience and revelation.

Yes, I think ‘delight’ is quite a wonderful word for 2019 and I can’t wait to find new opportunities of delight – and ways to delight others – throughout the year! And perhaps, as I look to find delight in the life I’ve been given and all of its blessings, He will delight in me, too!