I You, Jesus

I funny thing happened to me last night at VBS. I was standing off to the side, microphone in hand, backpack donned (it's a Hiking themed VBS), watching the kids sing Shelter. At the beginning, I was singing and doing the motions to spur on the kids. But the next thing I knew, I was simply singing. No Trail Guide Phillips. No audience but Jesus. I was humbled by the fact that here I've been telling all these kids that because of God's love they were accepted and loved and cherished. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, they were complete, and whole, and set right, all the while disbelieving it. (I mean, I'm the one still vying for the attention of high school boys. Wasn't I supposed to be done with this, oh, I don't know, 15 years ago?) And so I sung loudly--You have been a shelter, Lord. To every generation. A sanctuary from the storm...

And God was not content to leave me with just that one song. Just that one little picture of how He continues to draw me to Him. He wanted me to fully come to grips with my desperate need to be liked and loved by all those around me and how that interfered with my ability to see His love for me. (Seriously, I was considering cussing in front of the teen helpers at VBS just to get my "cool" back after having to play the heavy and tell them to stop flirting with one another and get back to their classes.) So I'm on Facebook (which is really just my 21st century popularity barometer) and put on my Ipod Shuffle.

I will leave you with the song that hit me. The song that caused me to shut my computer down early. The song that took me upstairs to get Henry out of bed to pray with, so I got to hear him say, "Ohmm. I you Jesus." (That's amen, I love you Jesus in 2 year old.)

True Story, Ginny Owens

I am a gifted artist

I've learned to paint this canvas well

I work until I've finished

An ideal image of myself

But you know better

I am a storyteller

Quite brilliant if I do say so

I tell them tales they want to hear

And they believe it's me they know

But you know better

Chorus:

You see my imperfections

Still you say I'm a masterpiece

A marvelous reflection

The image of Yourself in me

You paint with strokes of grace

Undoing my disguise

You say beauty lies in the true story

The world might think me foolish

If they could see beneath my mask

They might find my dreams laughable

Or be embarrassed by my past

But you know better

Of where I've been

And where you've brought me to

Of who I am

All because of you