The Apple Watch buzzed against my wrist, a small but insistent reminder to stand up and move. I glanced at the notification and sighed, feeling the weight of its unspoken judgment. That’s when I decided: enough. I slipped it off, the cool metal of the device a final touch before I powered it off and set aside.
For months, I’d wrestled with its presence in my life. Articles about potential harm—EMF exposure causing sleep disturbances and migraines—had caught my attention, but that wasn’t what tipped the scales. What I couldn’t ignore was how little value the watch truly added. Instead of enhancing my life, it became another distraction, another way for the noisy world to demand my attention.
The watch tracked everything: my steps, my sleep, even my minutes of “mindfulness.” It was a relentless voice whispering, “Do better, be better.” But for what? Somewhere along the way, I stopped enjoying long walks simply for the joy of them. I stopped savoring restful moments because they weren’t “productive.” Everything had to count—count for whom, I wasn’t even sure.
When I took it off, a quiet freedom settled over me. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t compelled to measure or prove anything. I could simply be.
And isn’t that what our relationship with God is meant to look like? A place of being, of resting, of enjoying Him—not another area where we feel pressure to perform.
Delight Over Duty
Sometimes, we approach God with the same mindset as a checklist or tracker. Did I read enough Scripture today? Was my prayer time long enough? Did it “count”? But that’s not what God desires from us.
The Psalmist writes, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
Delight isn’t measured or tracked; it’s experienced. It’s walking with God in the cool of the day, not to hit a goal but because you enjoy His presence.
When we shift our focus from performance to presence, from obligation to adoration, we begin to see our devotional life as less about checking a box and more about loving God for who He is. And in loving Him, we discover He is far more than we ever imagined—kind, faithful, joyful, and deeply personal.
Cultivations
For the Heart
What are the “Apple Watches” in your spiritual life—the things that keep you focused on performance rather than presence? Reflect on one area where you’ve been measuring your walk with God instead of simply enjoying Him.
For the Spirit
Lord, help me delight in You today. Teach me to let go of the things that pull my heart away from the joy of being in Your presence. Draw me closer to You, not because of what I do but because of who You are.
For the Journey
This week, choose one way to connect with God that feels unmeasured and free. Take a walk without an agenda, write a prayer without editing, or spend time in silence simply listening. Let it be an act of delight, not duty.
Why This Matters
When we stop focusing on making every spiritual act “count,” we rediscover the joy of simply knowing God. Like setting aside the Apple Watch, letting go of our need to measure and perform can open the door to deeper intimacy. In those moments, we realize our relationship with God isn’t about what we accomplish—it’s about the God who delights in us.
By embracing this freedom, we not only experience joy ourselves but also reflect the delight of the Lord to others.
If this idea of letting go of expectations to truly delight in the Lord resonates with you, it might be because it’s a theme worth leaning into. For me, “delighting in the Lord” isn’t just an idea—it’s my Word of the Now, shaping how I connect with Him in this season.
If you’ve chosen a word for your year or season, but you’re unsure how to truly live it out, I’d love to help. My Word of the Year post and guide is full of creative ideas and practical tools to help you engage with your word in meaningful ways all year long.
You can also catch the Podcast episode (Episode 31) or YouTube video.
Let’s embrace this journey of delighting in Him—not out of duty, but as an overflow of His love for us.
And if you’d like the Scripture Cultivations for “Delighting in the Lord,” you can grab those HERE.
