Fully Known

Growing up I’ve asked myself numerous times, “What does it mean to be fully known, let alone loved at the same time?” I felt compelled to understand exactly who I was, where I belonged, and what my purpose was in life. I searched long and hard for clarity and found myself constantly coming up short. It was not until I took to heart God’s offer to me. The offer to surrender myself completely to Him and recognize that I am already fully known by Him.

Really, what does it mean to be fully known? I’ve asked others this very question. Some replied with almost a sense of shame and embarrassment because all they could think of were the areas of their lives that they were not proud of. Others hesitated saying, “I wish it were possible for someone to truly know me without looking at me differently or with disappointment.” That is when I realized that the only one that can know and love us perfectly is God. There is only one way any of us can authentically know the answer to these questions. That is by refusing to hide and instead surrender ourselves completely to God. To be fully known means to be captured, understood, and seen completely for who you truly are. This is when God gives us the opportunity to thrive with passion and purpose in both the easy and difficult seasons of our lives.

To put this into perspective, take just a moment to close your eyes. Visualize a timeline of your life from the beginning to what it looks like now. Think about the parts of your life you are proud of including the areas you are not proud of. Moments you felt confident, while other moments you felt ashamed. Maybe there are things in your life you regret, cannot forgive yourself for, or simply wish never happened. Sometimes we think that we know ourselves completely and come to find out that we do not know who we are as much as we think we do. It is God who reveals to us who we truly are. Realize, it was God who revealed those things we already know on a deeper level. Yet, there are so many other things that God helps us to continually see about ourselves that make up the wonderful women He created us to be (Psalm 139:13-14). God reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:7, that although we are broken human beings, we are still considered treasures. God knows who we are, exactly where we belong, and what we are called to do. Despite our past and how we have fallen short, God knows exactly how to help us grow more in our understanding of who we are through helping us grow in our understanding of who He is. In the story of the Samaritan woman, God is shown doing this very thing.

When reading about the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-42, we recognize the compassion and love Jesus shows this woman even though she admits to a life she is not proud of. Jesus met this woman for the first time and yet told her things about herself that someone who did not know her would not have known. When I read this passage, I am reminded of how there is not one thing any one of us can hide from God, because He sees everything (Psalm 139:1-4). God is aware of it all. So, when we have moments in our lives when we cannot simply figure things out or put words to the unknown and unexpected, God actually can! God did not intend for us to drift throughout life feeling useless. God created us to live confidently in who He has created us to be.

Action Steps:

I encourage you to read John 4:10,16-28,28-30, 25-26. See how Jesus confronts this woman with both grace and truth. He helps her to see that He truly is God, that He wants to offer her salvation, and that here was an opportunity for her to know her value. He also wants her to know the calling He has for her apart from her sinful past.

Take a moment to journal or draw what you look like fully known. This includes both the things you are and are not proud of. After doing so, recognize that every image and word placed on your paper is simply just a part of your story. God knows it all and wants to reveal so much more. He will help you put into perspective who exactly you are and what you are called to, because you are wonderfully made and He wants you to be fully known!