left my fear by the side of the road...

"All I Need is You" by Hillsong United is on repeat right now.  i just kind of clicked to this song tonight because the first line popped into my head earlier.  it's really a great song; it starts out in a minor key that makes a shiver run down my spine...but that's beside the point.

anyway, this song got me thinking about some very important things.

i've been reading "Every Young Woman's Battle" by Shannon Ethridge.  yes, the book is about sex and abstinence and all those things, but i've recently noticed that's not all it's about.

in one of the earlier chapters, Ethridge dispels myths about relationships that many girls buy into.  one such myth is that a girl needs a significant other to feel complete and happy.  Ethridge's answer to the myth is that all we truly need is God--only our Creator can complete us.

i'm not sure if i've fallen into the "i NEED a guy to be happy" trap in quite some time.  i've learned/am starting to learn that if that were a need, God would have given it to me (Philippians 4:19).

but let's be real...i could fill in the blank--"i NEED ________ to be happy"--with a lot of things.  i won't go into them here, but i know i'm not the only one who feels this way.  any one of us could pick any number of things to complete the sentence.

here's a question, though...how many times has GOD filled that blank? 

for most Christians, He probably does subconciously.  it's something like how we can recite some Bible verses with our eyes closed and in one breath--sure, we have some scripture memorized...but does it actually mean something in that moment that we recite it?  do we believe those words?  or have we just remembered them from Vacation Bible School?

as this song plays over for the umpteenth time, as the refrain--all i need is You, Lord--permeates my being...i'm starting to realize how much i've been forgetting those simple, dynamic words.

they're so much more than words.

this song is so much more than chords and instruments and lyrics....

this is a love song of commitment to God, wedding vows that His bride the church has prepared.  

this is simultaneous submission and praise.

these words...should be the anthem of our lives.