A Kvelling Father!

I know I might sound like a bragging father, but last Friday my son Nathaniel’s tennis team won their division championship.  Not only that, but the win came about in particular by Nathaniel and his doubles partner, Will, winning their match, beating the only team that had thus far defeated them all season.  And not only that, but Nathaniel hit the final winning shot of the game!  Thus, on Saturday morning, after seeing that the high school sports page of the Bergen Record had a big article on Nathaniel and Will, I bought three copies of the paper!  Yeah, I know I sound like an excited dad!  Well, I am! 

There is a really good Yiddish word that describes really well how I have been feeling about Nathaniel and his whole team.  It’s a word that my grandmother used to use time an again, especially when she had all of her grandchildren around her or when one of them did something that really made her proud. The word is kvell.  My grandmother would say she was kvelling.  The word describes that feeling of delight and pride and joy.  I guess I could say, I’ve been kvelling!

So, I was thinking: if I get so excited and proud and kvell over my children when they succeed at something or do something well, how much more God, our heavenly Father, kvells over us who are his children?  As our heavenly Father, sees us doing well at what he has created us to do; when we accomplish what he has given us to accomplish; as we experience joyfully the good things that he pours into our lives, I have to believe that he is glad for, proud of, and excited over his children. 

The prophet Zephaniah wrote these incredible words:  “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.”  (Zephaniah 3:17 – NIV)  It is a picture of God, our heavenly Father, kvelling over his children.  He is delighting in them. He is excited about them.  He is kvelling to the point that he is singing!

Let’s be reminded today that we have a heavenly Father who loves us. He is a Father who watches over us.  He is Father who gets excited over us.  He is a Father who , kvells over us!  After all, we are his children!

Have a great day! 

Pastor Tim Harris