There's someone out there who knows every little detail about you. He knows when you're happy. He knows when there are tears falling out of your eyes. He knows how many hairs you have on your head. He knows how many freckles are scattered across your face. He knows every thought that crosses our mind. He knows everything.
He knew you before you were even formed. He knit you together. He created you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. He knows when you stand and when you sit. He knows your words before they even leave your lips. (Psalm 139)
If you haven't caught on yet, I'm talking about God. I'm talking about the Creator of not only humans, but the Creator of the moon. The Creator of the stars. The Creator of clouds and the sunshine and the ocean and lakes and animals and plants and trees and everything else that you can think of. He created it all. But only we were made in His image. We were made to have a relationship with Him.
We were made to be known by God, and to know Him in return. I think that is a beautiful concept. God, who created the entire earth and everything in it, wants to know me. He wants to have a relationship with me. He doesn't need me, He wants me. God gave His son to die and give me the gift of freedom and eternal life. I don't have anything to give in return, but yet He still wants me.
None of us are perfect, even though sometimes we like to think we are. We are broken individuals living in a broken world. We do things that we shouldn't. We think things that we shouldn't. We talk about things that we shouldn't. We do things that go against what God wants for us.
God knows those things. He knows when we have a thought that's not exactly a great thought to have. He knows when we mess up. He knows when we do things that go against His will. He sees our struggles. He knows every bit of our brokenness. We are fully known.
If any human knew every thought that you had, they might not be too happy with you. If any human knew some of the things that you've done, you would probably be judged. You'd be looked down upon for your struggles. Maybe you've experienced these feelings of being inadequate in the eyes of other people because of things you've done or things that you're going through.
But here's the thing. You are fully known by God, yes. But there's something else. You're also fully loved. In spite of all of your flaws, imperfections, brokenness, messiness, and shortcomings, you are loved more than you could ever imagine. God looks at us and doesn't see our mess. He sees His son.
We are loved not because of anything we have done to make us lovable. God loves us because of who we are. He loves us because we are His masterpiece. He loves us because we are created in His image.
Rest in the fact that you don't have to hide anything from God. You don't have to clean yourself up before you come to Him. You don't have to be perfect. Rest in the fact that you are fully known and fully 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." Tim Keller