A Revelation....

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by Matthew West
Take a look at the mountains
Stretching a mile high
Take a look at the ocean
Far as your eye can see
And think of Me

Take a look at the desert
Do you feel like a grain of sand?
I am with you wherever
Where you go is where I am

And I'm always thinking of you
Take a look around you
I'm spelling it out one by one

(Chorus)
I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

Just a face in the city
Just a tear on a crowded street
But you are one in a million
And you belong to Me

And I want you to know
That I'm not letting go
Even when you come undone

(Chorus)
I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more
I love you more

Shine for Me
Shine for Me
Shine on, shine on
Shine for Me

(Chorus)
I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

(Chorus)
Than the sun
and the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you, yesterday and today
Through the joy and the pain
I'll say it again and again
I love you more
I love you more

And I see you
And I made you
And I love you more than you can imagine
More than you can fathom
I love you more than the sun
And you shine for me


I have so many things that I want/ need to express about my weekend at camp, but I'll start with this because it is important....

So often, we hear "God Loves You" or other sentiments of similarity and I know my reaction is "Yes, and your point is..." Until, this weekend when it finally hit me... God Loves ME...Stacey Atkins, individually and personally. I knew God loved me in the whole creator of the universe, creator loves his creation type ways, but one thing I have always struggled with, and I know I've shared this with others before, but I always have struggled with the concept of God loves us, his children, as a father.

I was standing in Chapel at camp and I was just worshipping and then whoever was on stage at the time started to pray, I am not even sure what about but it just hit me then and there. I am a daughter of the most high God, who cares for me.

I don't even need to explain how bad this last year was for me, Grandma, the one member of my family who I could always count on died, and suddenly I, for the first time in my life, felt absolutely, totally, and completely helpless. There was nothing I could do to change the situation and I realized rather quickly that I was going to have to rely on God for everything... A really hard concept for me to grasp, because I am disturbingly stubborn and prideful that I can take care of myself...but I can't do everything and I realize that now.

I know I have told people that even when I was facing homelessness and the whole world seemed to be going crazy that I wasn't worried about it. And that is true, I had total peace the entire time I was looking for places, and even when I didn't have anywhere lined up with two days until I had to move out, I knew it was going to be okay. And it was... I lived with my cousins for a couple weeks and now live with people who have been like my family for years. Which is totally a God thing, because it wouldn't have been possible for me to live with them without major changes happening in their lives as well.

I left the church that I grew up in for reasons that I will now admit were stupid, even when I knew it wasn't what I wasn't supposed to do, and went to another church for awhile, a good church, but not where I was supposed to be. I let my pride and my dependence on other people stand in the way of the path that the Lord had for my life, and I am so grateful that He has given me the opportunity to go back and try again....


So, back to the chapel... I am in the chapel just worshipping and then someone just starts praying for me and God says (yes in a small whisper) "You are where you are for a reason, you are at this camp for a reason, you are helping out with the youth for a reason (even when I swore I would never ever work with youth again)and here is just a part of that reason..." All of a sudden I just knew that I was God's child and he was taking care of me.
It was like all of the times when I was questioning God's hand in my life flashed before my eyes (but not in a creepy I'm about to die way)and I could suddenly see how even when I was walking way off the path, God was directing me back, by placing people and events in my life...

I have a lot more to blog about for this camp, but I am supposed to be writing a paper on the Russian Revolutions of 1917,and I just stopped cause I needed to get this out because I am distracted by my excitement....