We long to be known. In fact, we yearn for someone to understand, to be on the same page, to “get” us. This is the desire of our hearts. The aching wound of estrangement from others often drags us down. We are lonely. A simpatico relationship rarely exists.
We’ve all experienced moments when someone dear to us seems ignorant of a significant truth, an intimate fact about our lives. They should be well-acquainted with this inner working of our hearts and minds. Instead, though this may be our own mother or husband or best friend, we find ourselves having to explain yet again. We slog through the same conversation we’ve had twenty, fifty, a hundred times. Sigh.
At these moments, it’s tempting to throw up our hands in despair, to harden our hearts to the reality that this will happen again and again. Why bother?
But wait. Pause. Think about it.
Haven’t we done that very thing to others? Haven’t we been so self-absorbed that we’ve missed significant events, truths, revelations, and changes in the lives of people we love? Yes. Unfortunately. We have indeed. Sigh, yet again. This is the reality of human life.
There is only One who truly knows us, One who is intimately acquainted with all the inner-workings of our hearts and minds, One who comprehends the twists and turns of our lives and how we arrived where we are. It is He, the omniscient and omnipresent One. All along, he’s been on site, on the ground, in our skin, aware of our thoughts, focused on our hearts, with us. Emmanuel. Such a relief!
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar…. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether” (Psalm 139:1-2, 4 ESV)
“For we do not have a high priest (Jesus, the Son of God) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV).
Countless times, when other weak and similarly flawed human beings have let me down, this has been the solid fact that has put me back together again. When I pull away to lick my wounds over the reality that, once more, I’m not understood, I reapply the medicine of this truth to the wound:
Jesus knows and loves me completely. In him, I have all I need. I can draw near to him in confidence, perfectly known, precisely understood, and completely loved.
There is no barrier between us and Jesus when we’re in Christ. We have encouragement, comfort from his love, fellowship with his Spirit, and the totality of his affection and sympathy, according to Philippians 2. Held up by this reality, we are enabled to love others. We need not turn on them or give up when they don’t know us at all or seem to care.
Because Jesus knows us and loves us, we have all we need.
How has this fact held you together when no one else understood?
Both images: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I am your Mother, and I could see in your beginning paragraphs how this happened many times between us, not because I didn’t love you, but because, as a flawed human, I was too centered on self, not tuned in to you as I should have been. How I would love to have “do-overs’ for the times I let you down, and YET, no Mother can be the perfect answer to your every need. It is wonderful that God drew you to Himself. Only He can meet anyone’s needs perfectly.
He did the same thing for me. Believe it or not, even my own Mother, who was so wonderful in every way, could not meet my need to be understood. Our flawed natures put up barriers. Conversations that need to happen never do. Apologies that we need, never come. Apologies we need to say ourselves never get voiced. Thankfully, as we turn to God and walk in the Spirit, He can change us, making us more like His Son, and we are free to love and forgive and actually forget and dwell on the good things that we have experienced with those we love.
And, so we turn to God. As one of the disciples voiced: “To Whom shall we go? No one else has the Words of life?” So, I run into the arms of my Abba Father! I sit on His lap and pour out my cares, because He cares for me, knows me as no other, and loves me anyway! Dances over me with singing! And, I am at peace…with myself and with those I love.
Amen to that! I’m glad for all the second chances you give me. Since we’re human, we let people down. It’s a good thing we have Jesus! He always lets us turn back and try again.
I learned that I matter & that I could be OK in my loneliness & pain. In the old days, I was so afraid of pain that I would cling to unhealthy ways in an attempt to fill up that lonely void inside. Praise God that He showed me how He is always with me & even the silliest of desires (a good parking space in downtown A2 or my favorite snack on the way to UM Oncology) are gifted to me because He knows & He loves ME!
What would we do without Him! He makes everything alright! I need those same kind of reminders as you, that He loves me so much in even the “tiny” things.
Good blog post!
Glad you like it! Thank you for commenting. 🙂