To Know and Be Known

Wednesday night I was hanging out with a group of Baylor alumni who now live in LA. We meet twice a month to hangout and do a book study together. Last night, we started a new book called The Journey of Desire by John Eldridge (author of Wild at Heart). We’ve only done one chapter so far, but WOW! It is great! We’re going through a workbook that accompanies the book, and it is not for the faint of heart. It really requires you to take a look deep inside your soul, to go to those tender places within, and to get reacquainted with the most vulnerable parts of your heart. A little scary, but definitely good. It was funny to hear everyone at the beginning of the evening making disclaimers about how they would not be openly sharing their answers to every question because they are so personal! Totally understandable.

At the end of our time together, each person shared their answer to one final question: What are five dreams you want to see fulfilled in your life? It was truly moving to hear the dreams that God has put in the hearts of my friends. And it felt good to share mine as well. There was a real sense of knowing and being known. And isn’t that what we all long for in this life? An intimacy in our relationships that is mutually accepting and lets you know that you are not at all alone in this world.

The desire to know and be known begs an age-old question that is addressed in one of my favorite movies, Sense and Sensibility: How vulnerable should we make ourselves in our relationships, and how soon? In Sense and Sensibility, there are two sisters—one is all heart and passion and “out there” with her feelings. She gets burned bad…real bad. The other sister is incredibly guarded and nearly loses her chance at love because she holds her feelings so close. Both sisters eventually do find love and true intimacy, but their journeys to get there were so different, and perhaps equally painful for different reasons.

Writing this weblog has definitely made me examine how open I should be with the things that I share. Understanding that certain things need to be kept “sacred”, I still lean toward a more open approach. During my journey on this earth, I want to let people in. It’s a lot less lonely that way. And when I go to meet my Maker (How awesome will it be to be in that relationship?! Knowing and being known 100%! *), at least the loved ones I leave behind will have really known me, and I hope they will know just how much I love them and how very much they mean to me!

* “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12