For the first time in my life, I am completely in awe of God.

Seriously, I'm just saying, He's pretty awesome. And isn't that the initial meaning of that word - to be filled with awe? Recently, He's been showing me just exactly why I should be in awe of Him and His goodness. Here are a few reasons:

1. I'm a girl.

Okay, laugh at that, but I freaking LOVE being a woman! And I love other women, too. I feel like God is calling me to other women for His service. Seriously, God made each of us so unique and, get this, He made us women for a purpose. There is some purpose we each have to accomplish that, for some reason, we couldn't accomplish as men. So, girls, every time you're feeling down, every time you're dealing with the troubles of being a woman in this world, every time you're cursing Eve during your period cramps, just remember:

The fact that you are female is not an accident.

I personally find that really cool.

2. He loves me and has chosen me.

I am fully well aware of my faults. Some days I'm shocked that my own mother still loves me. (Thanks, Mom!) So imagine how much more awesome it is that the God of the universe looks at you and me, mere specks in His creation, and decided to create us in His image. He didn't have to decide we were the pinnacle of His work, but He did.

Let that sink in. The God of the universe could just as well have accomplished His purpose through any other creature, but he chose human beings. He loved us. And when we screw it all up, He reaches out and gives us a second chance.

3. He's shown up all throughout my story.

I can go back and pinpoint, for the most part, exactly what got me here from where I've been. And God has been there, intertwined through all of it. I can point to that exact moment where this changed.

The moment I learned what love actually meant, and it wasn't what I'd been searching for. God was there.

The gradual, painful process of realizing He needed to be first in my heart, no matter what. He was there through all of it.

That first moment I comprehended that He wanted a hand in my life. He was very much present.

God has never left me, whether I've been at home, away, in the hospital, or completely well. He's always been there.

4. He's got a plan that is tailored to each person.

It took me ages to figure out that my story is not other people's stories. Why would I compare what is happening in my life to others when I am not them? God did not create me to be them. He did not create me to live their lives.

And He didn't create you to live anyone else's, either. It was a wonderful realization that somehow, even if I wasn't doing "as good" as other women, I was doing just fine. As long as I stayed along His path for my life.

The song is not lying when it says that our God is an awesome God.