Being Known

(and the fears that come with it)

All of us want to be loved for who we are. But, we so we often hide the parts of us that we don’t want others to see. Parts that scar us from our past or may hurt us in the future. Or we hide the goofy, sincere parts of our personality that we think no one will miss. 

 If you ask my close friends, I am a certified goof. And I don’t mean I am funny, or a good comedian… I trip over everything (and nothing—trust me, it’s a skill). I recite obscure book and movie references, and I laugh at pretty much anything and everything. But I don’t often share this side of myself with other people. It is so hard to be known when the only way to feel safe is to hide. What if someone thinks my laugh is annoying? Or think that my clumsiness is in poor taste? Hiding these parts of myself is like skydiving from 5 feet off the ground. You can’t really get hurt if your parachute doesn’t open. But sometimes you just need to take the risk and fall—trusting that God will be your parachute and give you the experience of a lifetime.

We all want to be loved, but we are afraid to be known. There is someone who loves you and wants to know you. They want to know your hurts, your past, and your pain. They want to stand beside you in your anxiety and be your light in the darkness. Let someone know you, and God can use them to change your life. Whether it is family or friends, we can all be a light in someone’s darkness. Be known.

 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:16