The Shack

I've been posting every week on my music blog so I figured it was time to update this one too.
Two weeks ago Emily (she blogs a lot more often than I do.. check hers out!) let me borrow "The Shack" by William P. Young along with a few other books.
I had only heard AMAZING things about "The Shack" so I decided to read that one first.
Lets just say... that my life was changed for the better.
First, a little background.
Growing up in a "faith based" home I've known about God my whole life but until about 5 years ago did I really start my relationship with Him. It's been an incredible journey. He's shown me things and helped me work through things and there has been exponential growth.
The latest thing that we've been working on is how I see Him. I had no problem seeing Him as Healer, or Saviour, or Almighty but the past five months or so has been Him showing me that He is Abba. Father. Dad.
It has been Him showing me that He is the Perfect Father.
It has been Him speaking words of affirmation that I am His perfect daughter in whom He is well pleased.
It has been Him telling me that He is proud of me, even when I think that I'm screwing things up.
It has been Him showing me pictures of Him and I sitting and just talking.
Pictures of Him holding me like a little girl.
Pictures of Him treating me like the princess that I am.
It's been amazing, yet really hard.
I have an AMAZING "earth" (for lack of a better word) Dad, but something I came to realize over these few months is that I was forced to grow up really fast.
I was an only child for four years and that was pretty much the only time that I was seen as a "little girl."
Right after my sister was born I immediately became "the older sister."
I was no longer held in my Dad's arms. I was always taking care of my sister and helping my parents out with her, rather than being cared FOR. (I'm NOT saying that my parents didn't take care of me... because they did.... and they are amazing parents... but I wasn't seen as the "little girl" anymore.. I hope you get what I'm saying)
These last few months I've realized just how much this has affected me.
I LOVE to take care of others, yet when it comes to people caring for me, I feel awkward.
I feel that others' problems or dilemmas are more important than mine.
I have a sort of "I can take care of myself" attitude.
I love to feel "needed."
So, God has been working on these things.
Showing me just how MUCH He loves me.
Showing me that I am, and will always be, His little girl.
Showing me how much others love me.
And showing me that it's okay to need others around me.

(Back to the point of the blog... the book)
So, God had (and still is) been working on these things when Emily gave me this book to read.
It's about this man spending an entire weekend with God. About God showing Him how much He is loved and helping the man understand why certain things happened to him.
As I was read the book, I cried more times than I care to admit.
It was as if everything God had been trying to tell me and show me, was reiterated.
How much He cares for me. How much He loves me. How much He wants to spend time with me. And how much He knows me.
It was beautiful.
This book also gave me this new perspective on God. How funny He is. How He doesn't like to be serious all the time. How He likes to be silly.
It was just amazing.
I recommend every single person to get your hands on this book.
*Disclaimer*
This book is not guaranteed to give you a revelation of God's love for you, but it's still a good read. (Haha)