Can you be fully loved if you're not fully known?
I've been thinking about this question a lot lately. 'The me I want to be' has been rocking my world and john ortberg says this: "i can only be loved to the extent that i am known."
whatttt.
because we've all got people who love us, we've all got corners, people who won't judge or condemn us no matter what our "fully known" may look like.
but are we allowing these people to love us to their full potential if we're not allowing ourselves to be fully known by them? how can we experience the joys of being fully and completely loved if we're not being fully and completely transparent?
it's scary, isn't it? trust me, i tried to find a loophole.
i think i'm good at transparency.. to a point. i'm good at being real.. if you don't ask too much. i know i'm loved.. so i can justify being vague. fully known scares me. there's nothing left to hide behind.
but once those walls are gone and you're, well, completely exposed and out there.. it feels like a welcoming home. it's not scary anymore, it's freedom. knowing you've shared, nothing has changed, you've let love in: it's extraordinary. it's redemption.
so ask yourself this: are you fully known by the people who can fully love you? you don't need to be known by everyone; you don't have to confess to everyone. but your corner, your community: are you fully known by them? and are you fully loving those who have made themselves fully vulnerable for you?
read this as encouragement:
"the Spirit will bring the courage.. ultimately, adversity can produce hope because of a reality much larger than you and i. the reality is that God is a REDEMPTIVE God." -john ortberg.
you come alive when you step into openness and stop pretending. don't let shame win!
live today knowing you're evidence of God's redemption!
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