I have sometimes wondered if the greatest desire of
[humanity] is to be known and loved anyway. – Donald Miller
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me. – Psalm 139:1
But now you know God, or better still, God
knows you. – Galatians 4:9
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I’m not going to give you a bunch of
statistics and documented studies today.
Today’s post is a little more personal – I guess so you can “know me” a
little better :)
This past Saturday, I had to appear before
my denomination’s licensing committee for an hour interview. It was the next step in the journey I’ve been
on for several years now. In the letter
of invitation, I was asked to bring a couple of people from my church
leadership who “know me”.
Stop and think about that for just a
minute.
If you had to bring 2 people with you who
could vouch for your deepest character – who fully knew the person that you are
– who would that be? In all honesty,
there are plenty of days when I don’t fully know who I am! And, here’s a little bit more honesty for you
– I’m not sure the church leadership knows me as well as some other people I
could have brought along. There are lots
of reasons for that – when I’m at church, I’m either in a meeting with a
specific agenda or attending worship or at a music practice. All of which I enjoy and find meaningful, and
I guess it shows that I am involved and punctual and reliable, but it doesn’t
necessarily lead to deep knowledge of who I am.
The intention of this post is not to dog my church (or any church), it’s
simply to say there is more to being known than just being present.
One of the things I have always loved about
my store is the opportunity to share our stories. During classes, our hands are busy, but our
mouths are free :)) And even when folks come into the store
simply to shop, there’s always a story.
They are looking for the perfect words to include in a card for a
critically ill friend. They are looking
for paper to make a scrapbook for their new grandchild. Sometimes, they don’t come in with a specific
mission – they just need a break from the stress of the workday or from caring
for their increasingly dependent parent.
One of my favorite things about these
conversations is that they often end in a touch or a hug – or a real connection
of seeing each other eye-to-eye. There
is a moment of “knowing”. It is a holy
moment. I think we were made with a deep
desire for those moments – a deep desire to be known. And that is why, when they happen, those
moments often bring tears. It’s like
receiving the one gift you really, really wanted. That joy that your body simply can’t
contain. So, it leaks out your eyes :)
These moments happen with some regularity
at our store, but they’ve been happening more frequently this summer as we’ve
done some of these extra workshops – the Guided Meditations, the Affirmation
Boxes and so on. It has been
exhilarating to be a part of. I want to
invite you to come experience it for yourself.
I would love to get to know you, and to let you know me. Don’t feel like you have to jump in the deep
end. I never force anyone to share –
that’s why I provide notebooks for you to journal in, if that’s more
comfortable. But people have shared as
their comfort level dictates, and we’ve all learned more about one another in
the process. Here’s what’s coming up:
Tuesday, June 24 at 9 AM – Guided Meditation using thePsalms
Monday, June 30 at 7 PM – Anointing and Prayer RitualsWorkshop
Saturday, July 19 at 9 AM – Labyrinth Walking Meditation