Fully Known & Truly Loved
Fully Known & Truly Loved
[Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Ana Nunez. When Ana sent this post in, I just felt it had to go up right before Easter! On Easter Sunday, I like to think about nothing else but Christ’s love for us all. Ana’s post sums it up so wonderfully. Thank you, Ana!]
“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 & 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.”
– Tim Keller
Counterfeit. Pretending to be the person that we are not, or take on the characteristics that we do not possess, is often simpler than exposing our true selves.
When we have not come to terms with who we are and the areas in which we lack, when we have not owned those things, there is a fear of judgment that is unbearable. So we make do with being appreciated, even adored, for the things we pretend to be. For the pretenses we set up.
And though that feels good for a moment, it does not last. Acceptance and healing does not come from a love that does not know us. It is not love if it is not looking at the worst of you and saying it will stand by you. And when we are not vulnerable, any love we receive proves artificial. In this place, we allow shame to keep us from real love.
Abandonment. It is probably the human’s worst fear. To expose yourself in supposed safety and be left because of it. To reveal the deepest parts of your soul to another and be rejected. Because if we cannot be loved at our core, which is the love we all crave, past all pretense and sin, we are not truly loved.
Christ’s love. There is a love, the only real kind, that knows us at our core, sees every flaw and shortcoming, and CHOOSES to accept us anyway, just as we are. This is the thing we all crave. We look for it everywhere, in every earthy thing, and we are disappointed every single time. Jesus is the only one who has it, and it sets us free. It takes the weight of performance off of our shoulders.
The Word says God IS love. But what does His love look like? Who is He?
He is patient.
We will fail and fail and then fail again and He will continue to sustain us and show us grace.
He is kind.
Generous, gentle.
He does not envy.
Selfish jealousy is at odds with God’s type of love.
He does not dishonor others.
Jesus never dishonored even those who did not deserve honor.
He is not self-seeking.
Jesus selflessly went to the cross for us. He never sought His own good. He gave all of Himself for us.
He is slow to anger.
He is patient with us.
He remembers our sins no more. He keeps no record of our wrongs. He forgives us relentlessly. We have a clean slate and He does not recall our wrongs.
He hates evil.
He rejoices when truth is spoken, He hates lies.
His love always protects.
His love hopes all things.
His love believes all things.
His love endures all things.
His love never fails.
My name is Ana and I am currently a 19 year old college student majoring in English who is engaged to a wonderful man who will be my husband in less than a month. I am passionate about woman’s ministry and hope to inspire and encourage women to grow and become all the Lord desires for them to be through my writings by sharing my stories and experiences on my journey with the Lord. Follow Ana’s blog here: https://anatheresann.wordpress.com/
