Peace in Full Exposure

One of my favorite things about God is that he completely knows us and fully understands us. He has always been with us, even when we didn’t know him. (Isaiah 41:10, 45:4). 

To be fully known by God allows us to humble ourselves and not strive to be right, make others understand us, or argue until we are blue in the face, leaving us even more frustrated that other people don’t see or believe what we believe.

God created us to be fully known, it is a human need and desire. To be fully seen: completely known. 

Why, then, do we hide? We conceal ourselves for various reasons: 1) a lack of belief that anyone is capable of loving us with a love devoid of shame and guilt; 2) past annoyances or hurts from others, making us reluctant to share and fearing it may only stir up more problems; 3) a skepticism about whether anyone genuinely cares about our inner struggles; and 4) a sense of hopelessness, as we don't believe that sharing will make a meaningful difference.

When we delight in the Lord, he gives us the desires of our hearts. (Psalm 37:4)

If God desires to fulfill our heart's desires, then we must take delight in the way He created us to be fully known by Him. One way we can achieve this is by observing God’s design in marriage as a place for us to be fully exposed and shame-free. Just as Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed (Genesis 2:25), God desires that our covenantal relationship with Him be treated similarly. The only difference is that He already knows everything about us and leaves it up to us to choose whether or not we want to expose ourselves. Often, we are afraid to be fully known because we don’t believe that anyone is capable of loving us with a love that is shame and guilt-free.

Remember

God’s spirit brings unity. As a body of Christ we need to approach each other through the lens of compassion. The lens of compassion allows us to have grace for the life in which others have lived that has made them believe and choose the things that they believe without fully understanding it. The lens of compassion allows us to approach a conversation with humility instead of thinking that the lens in which we view the world or Christ is superior.  

Application

One way you can feel understood by God and have the needs of your heart feel satisfied is by asking your heart what it is needing to feel satisfied in moments of frustration, anger, or moments where you wish people could understand you and know you better. 

When I’ve done this God has brought up my past and reminded me that even as a little girl people didn’t always understand me. God told me that he was sorry for the lies those memories have made me believe about myself through the years and how I’ve shut part of myself down along the way. He reminded me that he was with me in those moments and that he has always been patiently waiting for me to acknowledge him so that he could pour out the love he has for me that satisfies the desires of our hearts unlike anything else. 

My Prayer for You

Lord, you created us to be fully known and fully loved by you. In a world that is incapable of ever understanding us the way you do, we choose to expose ourselves to you. We choose to believe that you’ve always been with us, even while we were in our mothers womb. You formed us together and have been with us in every moment even when we lacked to know or acknowledge you. Lord would you mend our hearts, would you show us your grace that is unlike any form of love in this world. Would you help us to rest in your peace as we lay down our frustrations at your feet. We repent for stirring up hatred, strife, and division. We praise you for giving us compassion when our hearts were pleading to be understood, agreed with, and known. You know us, you understand us, you tell us that our stories make sense to you. Thank you for not making us feel crazy. Would you strip our pride and help us to have patience as we speak with others that we may not ever understand. Would you be with us and teach us how to satisfy the needs of our hearts as we take delight in your promises. Amen.