All the Time

You know that song that you hear on the radio, or in concert or wherever, and it just gives you goosebumps every time?? Some songs (ahem, basically anything by Casting Crowns) even move me to tears whenever the singing begins, like clockwork. Well, it's definitely my dream to write songs like that. I was looking at my little "lyrics" notebook last night and I read some songs that I'd forgotten about ever having written. I actually got those goosebumps a few times, mostly because I remembered the circumstances that prompted the composing of each song, and some of the aforementioned circumstances were pretty extraordinary :) I would highly recommend keeping a journal, or a lyrics book if you're like me and enjoy poetry. Even a prayer journal is great, because when you write from your heart, someday you can look back and see God's hand in every point of your life. You'll read something that you wrote when you were utterly devastated, and then remember how the Holy Spirit comforted you, or a friend came to your aid as if sent by God. And when you wrote something out of longing, you can see that God gave you what you asked for. Or how he didn't give it to you, but you were blessed with something better instead. God is always in our life, whether we realize it at that moment or not.

There's a song, my favorite song actually, that talks about what I just went over- the whole God always being there thing- AND, coincidentally, it's also one of those amazing songs that always gives me goosebumps (hmm, probably why it's a favorite). I'll post the lyrics here, but I recommend looking up the song on youtube so you can actually hear it, it's more meaningful that way. Times, by Tenth Avenue North

I know I need you.

I need to love you,

I love to see you, it's been so long.

I long to feel you,

I feel this need for you,

I need to hear you, is that so wrong?

Oh, oh (x6ish)

Now you pull me near you.

When we're close I fear you.

Still I'm afraid to tell you all that I've done.

Are you done forgiving?

Or can you look past my pretending?

I'm so tired of defending what I've become.

What have I become?

Oh, oh (x12)

I hear you say:

My love is over,

it's underneath,

it's inside, it's in between.

The times you doubt me, when you can't feel.

The times that you question, "Is this for real?"

The times you've broken, the times that you mend.

The times you hate me and the times that you bend.

Well my love is over,

it's underneath,

it's inside,

it's in between.

These times you're healing,

and when your heart breaks.

The times that you feel like you've fallen from grace.

The times you're hurting,

the times that you heal.

The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal.

The times of confusion, and chaos and pain.

I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.

I don't care where you've fallen, or where you've been,

I'll never forsake you, my love never ends.

It never ends.

Mmm, mmm

Oh, oh (x6)

That's a big list- a huge list. Would you be there for someone during the times that they HATED you? How about if the person didn't believe that you loved them at all? I've had people express that I was lying when I said I loved them, and let me tell you I was pretty upset. I've had friends not want anything to do with me, even after I've done nothing but love and help them. My first reaction is always anger. I want to forget about them, refuse to love them like they did to me. Jesus is different. It's impossible to know how He feels when He sees the love of His existence (which is each and every one of us, by the way, even those who aren't Christian) deny, insult, and reject Him a million times a day. Still, when we tell Him of our wrongs, his first reaction isn't anger, it's forgiveness. He tenderly takes us into His arms and whispers, "I love you, you are mine."

John 3:16

"For God SO LOVED the world that He sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. "

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAVHeVDML5k