afflictions eclipsed by glory

"He is jealous for me..."

The words of the song poured over me.

"Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy..."

I kept it on repeat for hours on end, days and days and days at a time...

"When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory..."

I needed the weight of it all to sink into my heart. To sink deeper than the hurts.

"And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me..."

For a while, all I could do was listen with tear-stained cheeks. But soon, the words poured out of me.

"Oh, how He loves us so. Oh, how He loves us. How He loves us so..."

With eyes shut tight and arms outstretched, I poured out my heart like water before the Lord.

"Yeah He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves..."

Even still, I can't not respond to this song. To these words. To the truths they hold.

"So we are His portion and He is our prize, drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes..."

When it started to play at church, my breath caught in my throat. As I dropped my head, a smile spread across my face.

"If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking..."

The day had been hard. The week had been hard. And God knew what I needed to remember.

"So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss, and my heart turns violently inside of my chest..."

And He ever so sweetly, so gently reminded me.

"I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us..."

And, with music so loud I couldn't hear myself sing, I poured out my heart as the words poured over me once again.

"Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves..."