Knowing.
A couple weeks ago a friend of mine asked me a question that caught me off-guard. Her question was, “Sarah, who are you close with?” There was a brief pause before I responded with an eloquent, “…What?” She asked the question again and added, “Because it seems like you’re close with a lot of people, but that can be pretty hard, so I was wondering who you’re close with, and how you’re so close with them.”
The reason I gravitate toward so many people is because really, I gravitate toward the Christ in them. In the very first chapter of Genesis we read that man was created in God’s own image (1:27). In getting to know my friends, old and new alike, I’ve been learning more about Him in the process. It’s like putting together a puzzle – a puzzle of knowing more fully Who God is. I see different aspects of Christ in each of my friends, and whenever I meet someone new, it’s like finding another piece of the puzzle. It’s a puzzle that I can never hope to complete, as it contains infinite pieces; but this won’t stop me from trying. To quote Vincent van Gogh, “I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.” And, honestly, I don’t want to stop trying. I want to continue to seek Him, and to know more of Him.
I think that knowing – and I mean, knowing - someone is an amazing thing. I don’t even know that I can explain exactly what I mean by the word “know” – so much of it is based in my own interpretation and connotation. I think one of the best things anyone could ever say to me is, “I’m glad I know you.” Because, what I hear between-the-lines in that is, “I know you. I know your strengths and your weaknesses. I know what you are like at your best and your worst. I know what you say and what you mean to say. And, even with all of the mistakes you’ve made, all the times you’ve fallen short… I’m glad I know you. You’re worth knowing.” God created my inmost being and knit me together in my mother’s womb, but even before this, he knew me (Psalm 193:13; Jer. 1:5). He knew who I was, before I was. He knew all I could - would ever be. This is how He knows me.
A couple years ago, as I walked into my bedroom, I started singing a Christmas song. At this exact same time (down to the second), my brother Andrew, in his room – 10 feet and a wall away from mine – started singing the exact same song... beginning at the exact same verse… in the exact same key. I thought it was a pretty cool “crazy random happenstance.” Andrew, on the other hand, was genuinely freaked out by the incident and decided we needed to never listen to the same music again. The reason I thought it was so cool was because it wasn’t intentional. We wound up accidentally singing in tune and in sync. And, true, I don’t think the situation had anything to do with how well we knew each other; but, it offered a glimpse of what knowing someone could look like. We were together, without even trying. This is how I want to know God.
This past Thursday, I was reading through Romans for the umpteenth time, when I was newly-struck by an old verse. I’d read the passage I-don’t-know-how-many-times, and I still found something new in it. Immediately, I stopped reading. I stopped everything. I just sat there for a moment, completely overwhelmed. And then I took a deep breath. I’d found another piece of the puzzle. I read an old passage and found a new glimpse of God.
The top of that page in Romans is now marked with a constant reminder - “The cry of my heart is to know You more.” I don’t want to give up the search. I don’t want to stop knowing Him more. I serve a God who is so big and awesome and beyond comprehension that the train of His robe filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1). How can I help but want to know more of Him?! I think, in many ways, I’m/we’re geared this way. He can be found in the midst of anything, if we search for Him. We will find Him if we seek Him with all our hearts. I want this. Even if all I discover is but the train of His robe... I have to reach for it. One of my favorite things to ask my friends is, “Tell me something I don’t know about you.” Even if we’re really close and have been friends for years, I love learning more about who they are, and what makes them tick. How much more so do I want to know Christ!
And so, I search for Him. Each piece I find gets added to the puzzle. I stare at the sky and see Him in the clouds – a piece found. I slice open a green pepper and wonder just why He chose to design them so intricately - yet another puzzle piece. I flip to a read-and-reread passage in my Bible and find a new truth. Every piece I find brings me one step closer to Him – to knowing Him. It’s the best journey ever – the journey toward knowing God. The journey toward becoming one with Him. I pray that I not only find Him in new ways, but that I find new ways to be like Him. Just as Andrew and I sang together without trying - I want to be able to be in sync and in tune with Him, without trying. I want to be united with Jesus in such a way that I can’t separate myself from Him.
Without wax,
Sarah.
This brought to mind an exchange I had with a different friend a couple months ago. In the course of our conversation, the fact that I have several “best”/close friends came up. I mentioned to her that I love all of these friends equally, but differently. Meaning, I love one friend for different reasons, in different ways, than I love another. I used to think the reason I gravitated toward so many people was because they taught me about life - of how I should live. I love my friend Kristi for her selflessness, Laura for her loyalty, Andrea for her wisdom. I could list every friend I have and name at least one lesson they have taught me. (They’ve each taught me more than one.) In the midst of explaining this mind-set to my friend, I realized… I was wrong. My friends haven’t been teaching me more about life; they’ve been teaching me more about Him - He who created life.
The reason I gravitate toward so many people is because really, I gravitate toward the Christ in them. In the very first chapter of Genesis we read that man was created in God’s own image (1:27). In getting to know my friends, old and new alike, I’ve been learning more about Him in the process. It’s like putting together a puzzle – a puzzle of knowing more fully Who God is. I see different aspects of Christ in each of my friends, and whenever I meet someone new, it’s like finding another piece of the puzzle. It’s a puzzle that I can never hope to complete, as it contains infinite pieces; but this won’t stop me from trying. To quote Vincent van Gogh, “I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.” And, honestly, I don’t want to stop trying. I want to continue to seek Him, and to know more of Him.
I think that knowing – and I mean, knowing - someone is an amazing thing. I don’t even know that I can explain exactly what I mean by the word “know” – so much of it is based in my own interpretation and connotation. I think one of the best things anyone could ever say to me is, “I’m glad I know you.” Because, what I hear between-the-lines in that is, “I know you. I know your strengths and your weaknesses. I know what you are like at your best and your worst. I know what you say and what you mean to say. And, even with all of the mistakes you’ve made, all the times you’ve fallen short… I’m glad I know you. You’re worth knowing.” God created my inmost being and knit me together in my mother’s womb, but even before this, he knew me (Psalm 193:13; Jer. 1:5). He knew who I was, before I was. He knew all I could - would ever be. This is how He knows me.
A couple years ago, as I walked into my bedroom, I started singing a Christmas song. At this exact same time (down to the second), my brother Andrew, in his room – 10 feet and a wall away from mine – started singing the exact same song... beginning at the exact same verse… in the exact same key. I thought it was a pretty cool “crazy random happenstance.” Andrew, on the other hand, was genuinely freaked out by the incident and decided we needed to never listen to the same music again. The reason I thought it was so cool was because it wasn’t intentional. We wound up accidentally singing in tune and in sync. And, true, I don’t think the situation had anything to do with how well we knew each other; but, it offered a glimpse of what knowing someone could look like. We were together, without even trying. This is how I want to know God.
This past Thursday, I was reading through Romans for the umpteenth time, when I was newly-struck by an old verse. I’d read the passage I-don’t-know-how-many-times, and I still found something new in it. Immediately, I stopped reading. I stopped everything. I just sat there for a moment, completely overwhelmed. And then I took a deep breath. I’d found another piece of the puzzle. I read an old passage and found a new glimpse of God.
The top of that page in Romans is now marked with a constant reminder - “The cry of my heart is to know You more.” I don’t want to give up the search. I don’t want to stop knowing Him more. I serve a God who is so big and awesome and beyond comprehension that the train of His robe filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1). How can I help but want to know more of Him?! I think, in many ways, I’m/we’re geared this way. He can be found in the midst of anything, if we search for Him. We will find Him if we seek Him with all our hearts. I want this. Even if all I discover is but the train of His robe... I have to reach for it. One of my favorite things to ask my friends is, “Tell me something I don’t know about you.” Even if we’re really close and have been friends for years, I love learning more about who they are, and what makes them tick. How much more so do I want to know Christ!
And so, I search for Him. Each piece I find gets added to the puzzle. I stare at the sky and see Him in the clouds – a piece found. I slice open a green pepper and wonder just why He chose to design them so intricately - yet another puzzle piece. I flip to a read-and-reread passage in my Bible and find a new truth. Every piece I find brings me one step closer to Him – to knowing Him. It’s the best journey ever – the journey toward knowing God. The journey toward becoming one with Him. I pray that I not only find Him in new ways, but that I find new ways to be like Him. Just as Andrew and I sang together without trying - I want to be able to be in sync and in tune with Him, without trying. I want to be united with Jesus in such a way that I can’t separate myself from Him.
The cry of my heart is to know Him more.
I am seeking.
I am seeking.
I am striving.
I am in it with all my heart.
Without wax,
Sarah.
(PS: I've heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Here's hoping the reverse is also true. :P.)
You are truly a spectacular individual & I am blessed to know you as my sister in Christ. :D Love you!
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