Daisies and T-Top Corvettes
I was just about to start cooking supper when my mom called out of the blue. "Can we come pick up the boys and take them to the movies?" Hot diggity! My night just got a lot more interesting!
I'm not saying that love doesn't matter or that we don't need it, of course we do. But love is cheap. Knowing is the good stuff we should all be after.
Jason and I waved goodbye to our three boys and hopped in the car. Where were we going? We didn't know. What would we do when we got there? Who cares! We were kid-free and ready to party. Don't get me wrong, we love our kids, but life with three small boys isn't exactly conducive to romance. There are always messes to clean up, fights to referee, snacks to dish out. It seems that we go days without ever talking about more than who will handle pick-ups, drop-offs, baths, and bedtime stories. That's why, when we get a little time together, we always default to one of our favorite games. As we cruised the back roads, giddy to be in a vehicle without car seats, Jason and I settled in to a familiar rhythm. Jason: Favorite flower? Me: Daisy. Jason: Favorite color? Me: Yellow. Jason: Favorite car? Me: T-top Corvette. Jason: Musician you most want to see in concert? Me: Elvis. He already knows the answers to the questions. He's been asking them for more than a decade. But every question is like a love note that says, "I know you." Few people have known me longer than he has. No one has known me deeper. But I need the reminder that I am known. He needs reminded of the delight found in the knowing. Hallmark's got it all wrong. Being known is far more romantic than being loved. Unfortunately, that's the memo our culture seems to have missed. We're obsessed with being loved. We think admiration, adulation, and applause is the be-all and end-all. I'm not saying that love doesn't matter or that we don't need it, of course we do. But love is cheap. Knowing is the good stuff we should all be after.
A Knowing God
Knowing and being known doesn't come easily. But we don't learn how to know others best in our human relationships. We learn it best in our relationship with God. God is in the business of making Himself known. It's a truth written all over the Bible in verses like Ps. 9:16, Ps. 88:12, and John 1:18. This is big! The God of the universe lets us know Him. That's mind bending enough, but the reverse is also true. The God of the universe knows you. He proves it in verses like Ps. 31:7, Ps. 139:16, and 1 Corinthians 8:3. Galatians 4:9 says, "But now . . . you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God." Psalm 139:1 says, "O Lord, you have searched me and know me!" In many ways, Christianity is a lifelong study of God, but when it comes to us, He's already done His homework. He knows you intimately. He knit you together and then studied His handiwork. He invites you to weave your story into His. I'm afraid we've been singing a song all wrong since preschool. Yes, Jesus loves me, this I know. But when loneliness comes, I need to be reminded that Jesus knows me. This I love. When Jason works to know me better, I recognize it as a sweet gift. How lucky am I to have found a man willing to mine my heart for decades? (He's mine. You cannot have him.) If you find yourself chronically lonely, you might be missing something huge! The same sweetness can be found from God. He knows you. He invites you to know Him in return. If you want to learn more about knowing and being known by God and others, check out my series Connected.
