Fully Known and Truly Loved

“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.” Timothy J. Keller

Fully known and truly loved. These have to be my favorite words!  It's how I choose to live my life. These words have freed me. They are how I feel about my relationship with God and how I feel when I read my favorite, Psalm 139, where it talks about God's perfect knowledge of man, God's perfect knowledge of me, God's perfect knowledge of you:

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it …For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You...” Psalm 139 (NKJV)

Re-read those words and just let them sink in. There is a God in heaven. He actually happens to be your Creator like this Psalm talks about, and He knows everything, and I mean everything, there is to know about you. He actually knows you better than you know yourself. You'd be surprised at some major things I learned about my life just a few years ago, but God knew all along.

We all go through this life wanting to be known and wanting to be loved. Sadly, many people also go through life not allowing themselves to be fully known in fear of not being truly loved. Many are superficially loved––loved for their looks, talents, and what good they can offer. But who will love you with your flaws, insecurities, fears, doubts, and shortcomings? Who will love you for the good, the bad, the pretty, and the ugly? Who will love you for ALL that you are?

I think back to the Garden of Eden, when we were completely free before God, not ashamed to be seen and aware of how loved we were. Then the fall came and we hid. We hid from the One who already knew us fully and loved us truly. So many are still hiding today, afraid to be seen because of shame, fear of rejection, or fear of not being loved.

I once heard someone say God created us like a universe inside, and I couldn't agree more. There is so much depth to each person, so much value; each person is so uniquely made. Each has their own personality, their own laugh, their own individual way of being.

Every detail of who you are and your life was thought out by the Creator of the universe, and there is no one exactly like you. It's not until you believe that, that you will realize just how valuable you are. You will then also begin to recognize the lies that try to convince you that you are not good enough, not talented enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not worthy. But you are more valuable than you know.

I long to see people living a life where they are so aware that there is One who knows them fully and loves them truly. I long to see people free, not burdened by false pretense and hiding behind the expectations of others. I long to see people living their lives in light of the truth that they are accepted and loved exactly for how God made them.

This is why I live my life choosing to acknowledge the One who knows me better than I know myself and loves me more than anyone ever could. He knows not only what I want but what I need. He knows my likes, dislikes, fears, strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and desires.

When you live a life fully known and truly loved, you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not in the hopes of being loved.

When you live a life fully known and truly loved, you don’t live for the acceptance of others. 

When you live a life fully known and truly loved, you don’t shatter if someone rejects you.

When you live a life fully known and truly loved, you don't live comparing yourself to others.

When you live a life fully known and truly loved, you don't have to fear or question God’s goodness when things don't go as planned. 

When you live a life fully known and truly loved, you don't have to doubt if God is going to come through.

When you live a life fully known and truly loved, you don't have to question if you really matter and if there is a purpose for your life.

If God really knows you, then He knows what you want, what you need, and what He created you for. If God truly loves you then you can live at peace trusting that He's for you and only wants the best for you and that He will never leave you.

My prayer is that everyone will realize that they are Fully Known and Truly Loved by their loving Creator.

 Written By Angelica Bailon Media Director for Solid Lives I The Rock 

 Angie has a desire to ignite a movement where God’s people live with the awareness that they are Fully   Known and Truly Loved by their Creator.