Knowing You

At fourteen months old, Clara is just starting to say a few words and express her opinion through occasionally loud outbursts of emotion. Since we have spent practically every moment together for over a year, I tend to believe that I know her very well. In some ways that is true. I know which books she likes to read and which foods she likes to eat. However, since she cannot clearly speak her mind, there are a lot of things about her that I can only assume. Her personality is one of those things. I assume that she is so sweet because of her cute little smile and that she is always going to be calm and snuggly and obedient.

I know better this time around though, because I have two other kids. Once they begin to talk in sentences, their true personalities burst forth in full color. What I perceived in single-dimension before suddenly takes its full form and is rarely what I expected. People are complex beings with so many emotions, desires, needs, and expressions. There is no way that I can truly know my baby girl after only a year. I will continue to learn who she is for as long as she lives.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:10-11a NIV

This same idea of knowing can be applied to our relationship with Christ. There are several layers of getting to know Him. There is first what we hear about Him from other people, a vague idea that is probably tainted by their own perceptions. Then we read the Bible and begin to see a better picture of who He is by examining His words and actions. Even this is limited by keeping Him in between the pages, stuck in a past history.

It isn’t until we begin spending time with Him and letting Him speak into our individual hearts and current circumstances that we experience who He is in full color. It is then that we learn of His promises and truths about who we are, slowly understanding our identity in Him.

Even this knowledge of Jesus reaches its limits, until life deals us a blow. Only in trials, challenges, and loss do we get to know Jesus at the most intimate level. When we drown in the overwhelming darkness of this broken world, we see His promises leap off of the pages of the Bible and carry us through.

Jesus is no longer an idea, a name, or a character from long ago, he is our Savior, our King, Provider, Prince of Peace, Sustainer, Fortress and hiding place, Redeemer, and Friend. When all else falls away and we ask the question, “Is Jesus really all I need?”, we can honestly respond with a resounding “yes” because we know Jesus, and to truly know Him is to love Him above all else.

Jesus, I want to know you personally and intimately. I give you permission to speak into my life, to lead me where you want me to go, and to use difficult circumstances to draw me closer to you. I desire to know you and be known by you above all else.

How well do I know Jesus? Is it personal and intimate, or similar to knowing the character of a favorite book?

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