Known By Him

 By: Grace Metzger

But whoever loves God
is known by God.
1 Corinthians 8:3 NIV

Yesterday I was talking with my parents and sister and brother-in-law. While speaking to them I found out that one of them shared a bit of an embarrassing story about me to someone we all know. I was mortified. I have never loved having people's attention on me, especially in a negative way like them knowing something embarrassing about me. When I heard this I shouted, in a very joking way, "You know that once I leave the room I want everyone to forget I exist." They all laughed at this and the conversation moved on. But I started thinking about those words that seemed to just spill out of my mouth. 

Being known by someone is a very imitating thing to me at times. So once I read 1 Corinthians 8:3, I instantly thought about those words again. Did I really want to be known by God? What was it like to have a perfect, blameless, all powerful God know little imperfect me? 

Before I formed you in
the womb I knew you,
before you were born 
I set you apart.
Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

I've read that verse that verse hundreds of times. But I've started looking at it through a different light recently. Even before I was born God knew me. He didn't have to. He choose to know me. He could have waited until I was older, could have said that He wasn't going to put in the effort until I became the perfect Christian. Instead, He loved me so much that He decided before He even formed me who I was going to be. Image having this kind of love for someone that before they're even born you're already putting so much care in their life!

I was afraid of God knowing me because I wasn't perfect enough for Him. That I wasn't worthy of being even acknowledged by God let alone having Him care so much that He puts in the effort to know who I am. God never asked us to be worthy for His love. He gives it to us freely because it is who He is. We don't have to worry about being perfect enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or worthy enough for Him to love us. He knows us and all our flaws, yet He still loves us. 

Discussion:
1. Do you ever pause to think about the fact that God fully knows us, yet He still chooses to love us?
2. Is it hard to think that even through our sins, failure, flaws, addictions, shame, etc, that God still wants us?