the buckets of rain are (temporarily) out of commission

God has been incredible at providing just what I need, right when I need it most. Tonight Laura came over (long overdue :) ) and we chatted about everything under the sun (and the moon, seeing as it's 11:30 pm and she's just left). I told her that this has been a really hard year, from people I love attempting suicide to family members passing, a very broken relationship with my brother and the end of a lot of other things (relationships, friendships, school, a job I love...), this has not been an easy year. And yet, I feel more in love with God than I ever have before.

When I was living in Switzerland, Duncan sent me a couple CD's with music I'd never heard before, the following is "She Looks to the Sky" by Sherri Youngward:

They say she is loved by the greatest of all who have walked in the world
He lives far away still she spends all her days content with only His words
She often walks alone, but never is she lonely
You can offer her anything, her affections are all for Him only
She looks to the sky as if He is coming down through the clouds up above
Though no one has seen Him you cannot deny she is drenched in His love  
She often walks alone, but never is she lonely
You can offer her anything, her affections are all for Him only  
All the day long she sings sweetly, she says He speaks to her mind
She’s only rich with affliction, yet a bitter word you won’t find  
She lives with assurance He loves her too deeply to let such distance remain
She’s brimming with longing for Him to come calling and sweep her away

I wouldn't presume to say that I have gotten to that point, in particular the "bitter word you won't find"... but I do feel much more content at this point in life than I have for a long while. I am "drenched in His love" and I am "longing for Him to come calling and sweep [me] away", I know that I am "never lonely". I am so in love with God and it is an incredibly beautiful place to be.

Last night a friend of mine gave me a compliment that moved me to tears (yes Dan, you) and all I could think of was "thank you God" (and also thanks to Dan for encouraging me).

I don't know how this fits in with this blog post, but our pastors are preaching on a series titled "God is > than ...", about how we must be less and God must be more. One quote that stuck out to me was this, Selfish pride is incompatible with selfless love.