Fully Known. Fully Loved.
Fully Known. Fully Loved
To be fully known and still completely loved is something that I think we all share as a deep desire. We want people to know us, every part of us, and still choose to love us. But sometimes we just settle for being somewhat loved and not deeply known. We are afraid that if we are fully known, we won’t be capable of being fully loved. But if we aren’t fully known, then it’s not possible to be fully loved. Is it too good to be true to fully experience both? No. Not when it comes from our Heavenly Father. I love the lyrics Tauren Wells uses in his song “Known”,
“I'm fully known and loved by You
You won't let go no matter what I do
And it's not one or the other
It's hard truth and ridiculous grace
To be known fully known and loved by You
I'm fully known and loved by You”
There is a beautiful quote by Tim Keller that says this, “To be loved but not known is comforting, but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” This is one of the most accurate descriptions of the gospel, in my opinion. The way that God truly knows every single thing about us, yet still chooses us and still loves us is so beautiful. Nothing about you or what you have done will ever drive him away. He knows it ALL and he’s still fighting for you.
In today’s world, it’s really easy to be “known.” Whether it’s from going viral on Tik Tok overnight, having hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram or simply being the most “popular” person in the room, it doesn’t take much anymore to get people to know who you are. But let me ask you this: is it more important to be well-known, or known well? Is it more important to you to have the fame and the followers who know you only by what you choose to let them see? Or would you rather be known by less people, but fully and deeply known? For the sake of full transparency, I want you guys to know that I have to ask myself that question often. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “excitement” of it all. But those thousands of followers don’t have the capacity to truly love me because they don’t truly know me. That kind of “known” isn’t satisfying or fulfilling. It won’t fill that desire deep inside of your heart. Only the way that Jesus can know you and love you will be able to do that. And hear me when I say this: Jesus died for you and invites you in with him because of who you were created to be, not because of the image you are trying to portray. Don’t hide parts of yourself out of fear, but embrace who you are! God created you with intention and purpose. Live it out!
We could easily take our eyes off of the truth that our omniscient God loves us so deeply, and we could focus on how unknown our situation is or how unknown we are compared to the girl who has millions of followers. Realistically, we could choose to feel this way in any given situation. But the truth is, the love of God is what we need more than anything. And we have full access to it. So, to encourage you, here is some biblical truth that reminds us that we are KNOWN by God and we are LOVED by God.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts”. Psalm 139:23
“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
“But now that you know God - or rather are known by God - how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Galatians 4:9
“But whoever loves God is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:3
Challenges:
Invest in relationships. Don’t be afraid to open up completely to the people around you because you are afraid that if they know the real you, they won’t want to love you. You are already fully known and loved by God and that is enough. And if the people around you can’t love you for you, then they aren’t your people.
Be yourself! You are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator of the universe! Don’t hide who he made you to be! Embrace it!
Spend time with God. He knows you deeply and he loves you deeply, so I challenge you to make the decision to get to know him more and love him more as well.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for this beautiful day! Thank you for new mercies every morning and the chance to get to know you more each day. We praise you that we are fully known and completely loved by YOU! I pray that we would always remember that’s enough! And that we don’t need to seek to be well known by everyone, but rather be known well by those that are closest to us and pour into us. I pray that we would each walk in the calling that you have placed in our lives and that we would be confident in who you created us to be. May we glorify you in all that we do. Thank you for your love and your kindness. In Jesus’ name! Amen!