Driest season so far

   Recently I had some VERY good prayer time, afterwards I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated. I can't help but think (and feel) like I just came out of one of the driest seasons of my life, but it was so good for me. I know many times people often view those "dry" spiritual seasons as something negative, but I beg to differ. It's in the dry place i was in that I learned to really dig deep spiritually and rely on the word of God and all that He has spoken over my life. I didn't even realize that I was in a dry place. Isn't that crazy?! I know some would think, "how could you not know that you were in a dry place?" But it's weird, kind of hard to explain as well; though I was in a dry place, I never really got to the point where I was absolutely dry, I just knew I needed more than what I had. In the midst of it all I was able to take my eyes off my present situation (for the most part, I'm not totally perfect) and really focus on God. I'm so incredibly thankful that I have His spirit dwelling within me, knowing that is what really kept (and keeps) me going. It's amazing and such a great reminder to know that inside of each of us is a river of life that flows out and we just have to be willing to tap into it and trust in God. I know all of this seems pretty vague, so I will give a few details.
    Once I started the job at the hotel it changed my life more than I expected. I was instantly in a new season, and though many who've passed through my life may disapprove of the amount of time it took me away from "everyone" [i.e. church ppl, friends, church in general, social events, etc..] I truly believe God had his own plan, and I'm happy I chose to please Him and not the people around me. Now I will be the 1st to admit that yes I was pretty bummed at times when I could not go out and fellowship with some groups of friends or missing church here and there, but God still allowed me to receive so much from Him directly, besides shouldn't everyone have that "wilderness" type experience? This job stretched me and grew me in many areas that would have probably remained the same if I'd continued hang around the same people and do the same "church" things. God used people at this place to surface things that were hidden in my heart that were not pleasing to Him that I didn't even realize were there. I'm so thankful for that because it put me in a place where I had two choices, I could either hand it over to God so He could deal with it, or pretend it wasn't there and live life in bondage. I chose the later. I feel like I have been stretched so much in love & humility, though I'm still learning and growing in these areas I can definitely say that I'm not where I was this time last year so thank you God!  You know even in the Amazon rainforest there is actually a 25% increased growth of leaves during the dry season, of course this only happens in those areas that have been undisturbed by people. It's believed that during this dry season the roots are able to grow deeper until the find that hidden source of rainwater deep beneath the surface. What if during this year away from everything that's what God wanted me to do? That alone is worth volumes and I would not trade it for the world, but I am soo happy for a new season.