Now imagine that every single one of those seats is not only filled, but filled with a person on fire for God.
Sounds pretty incredible, right? It was.
Last night, my youth group and I went to Greensboro Coliseum to see Winterjam 2015. It was my first-ever Winterjam and I honestly wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had never been to this particular venue, so I had no idea how massive this concert was going to be. I also had never heard of any of the ten bands that were playing. We saw Veridia, For King and Country, Blanca, Skillet, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, Building 429, About A Mile, Family Force 5, and New Song. (My personal favorite was For King and Country because they're Australian and firmly believe that all girls are princesses so, of course they're my favorite!)
Skillet was a bit too loud for me, but aside from that, it was a really amazing concert!
We heard Tony Nolan speak, and we also heard from an incredible little boy named CJ, who has ridden his bicycle across the counry to raise money for children to "get their hearts fixed". (This kid was the cutest thing ever, and incredibly good at public speaking.)
Aside from the lovely music and wonderful message, I also got to spend time with some of my favorite people. I got to hang out with Aidan, Rachel, Rose, Patricia, Emma, David, Chelsie, Adrienne, Roark, Alicyn, Avery, and Sarah. All of these people make me so happy and remind me continuously how blessed I am to have them in my life.
It doesn't always take a mountaintop experience to bring about a fire for God and a content heart. Winterjam was an incredible thing to be a part of, and I found myself thinking a lot about the messages I was hearing. I especially loved the message in Francesca Battistelli's "He Knows My Name". The song goes, "True to who You are, You saw my heart and made somthing out of nothing, so, I don't need my name in lights. I'm famous in my Father's eyes. Make no mistake, He knows my name. I'm not living for applause. I'm already so adored. It's all His stage. He knows my name." I felt like this was a really important to take to heart. (Of course, her stunning vocals probably helped enforce her point!)
In all seriousness, though, it's an amazing feeling. To know that He knows my name, and yours, and the names of every single person. He has all of our names written on the palm of His hand, and that's an incredible thing. I love that thought. I love that knowledge. It makes living for God a true joy. Every day, that knowledge is like a fuel of sorts to those who know it. It's the sort of knowledge you can't contain, and you want to share it with everyone around you! You want everyone to feel the worth that comes from knowing that we are adored, and loved, and treasured, by God no less! That's a good thing! It's the sort of thing that makes me stop sometimes and just reflect on who I am. Everything I do, every step, every fall, every recovery, it's all in God's hands. It's a sort of breathtaking reflection. It's good news!
I love things like Winterjam. Because it was a truly incredible feeling to look around and see 20,000 seats filled with people who have the same goal that I have. We're all living for the same thing and denominations didn't matter. It was a wonderful experience, and if I said I'm not listening to "He Knows My Name" right now, I would be lying :)
Always, Cassie
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