Just a thought by coppi

2023

Timothy Keller was right when he wrote this in The Meaning of Marriage: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

Being fully known and truly loved is what I desire – I have quoted this before when I have been asked to speak at different events. I usually start with “When two people meet there are three different people you are trying to let that person know about you 1) who you are trying to impress that person with who you are. (2)who that person thinks you are. (3) and who you really are.  Speaking before people is not one of my enjoyments as when I was a child growing up I stuttered and was very fearful of who I was.  But I told the Lord if He opened a door, which He did many times, I would face the fear and darkness and not close the door.  Not easy, but can be done with Jesus holding your hand.  If you run from the darkness of fear, it will engulf and swallow the life out of you.  I am not a fake nor do I pretend to be someone I am not;  I will take the risk of not being loved or accepted to be the person God created me to be.  It was a hard lesson to learn, still is at times, but certainly worth the effort. H