Community

We have a signboard facing the street on which the message changes each month

Current Sign

How much of yourself do you feel you must filter when you’re with others? Of course, “others” isn’t a single category; there are many types of others in our lives, from our social media contacts to our closest friends or family members. Is there someone whom you feel you can truly be yourself with? Someone with whom you can express your vulnerable feelings, talk about your deepest struggles, and share your worst moments? We humans learn from a very early age that sharing our deepest parts, especially those we may not like, can be uncomfortable. That’s what happens when we see a toddler hide or cover their face when they know they’ve done the wrong thing. Experiencing rejection, condemnation, or exploitation after revealing our vulnerable parts is incredibly emotionally painful.

God knows everything about you. Everything – not only everything you’ve ever done but everything you’ve ever wanted to do, every thought, feeling, desire. As the Ancient Israelite King David declared:

You have looked deep
into my heart, Lord,
and you know all about me…
Nothing about me
is hidden from you! (CEV Psalm 139:1, 15)

Does that terrify you? Does it make you want to hide, defend yourself, or shake your fist in defiance and declare your autonomy?

But… God knows everything about you and still loves you.

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

There’s a kind of relational dichotomy here that we often find hard to grasp. Yes, God declares humans to be sinners. He doesn’t simply look away from our bad bits and mutter platitudes such as “It’s all good” or “I know you didn’t really mean it.” He sees it, he feels it, and he still loves us.

Have you experienced this level of intimate love? One in which you don’t have to hide anything; you can’t hide anything, and you are still loved and safe. Can you imagine this intimate relationship with God? Because Jesus’ death paid for your sin and because God already knows everything about you, you can express all your feelings, talk about your deepest struggles, and share your worst moments with God confident in His love for you.

Would you like this secure intimate relationship with the God of the universe? You can reach out to Him right now.

Prayer

Dear God,
Can it be true that you really love me? I believe I am a sinner who has done wrong by you and others. Help me also believe I am deeply loved and forgiven because of Jesus’ death. Help me to share my whole self with you and enjoy intimacy with you.
Amen.