•Friday, November 25, 2011
It's the day after
Thanksgiving. My heart is still filled with the tastes of His goodness - the
quiet moments in between the bustling of family to savor every flavor.
There is just a certain
air of familiarity that comes with family gatherings - a warm "yes, I
know these people" kind of feel. There isn't pretense or formality.
It's the kind where you can switch drink glasses and slip food onto others'
plates. Or when you can sack out on the couch after the big meal and nobody
gets offended. Or the amused significant glances shared across the table
because you know exactly what the other is thinking.
Yes, I know these people.
Today, I avoided the
hustle and bustle of the stores and instead blared Christmas music through my
car speakers as I went for my weekly visit to a dear friend. He had just lost
his wife of 63 years last week. As I rounded the corner to his room, the therapist
pulled me aside and whispered: "His eyes just lit up when you walked
in!" I smiled, because my heart had lit up too.
Yes, I know these people.
These kinds of encounters
warm my heart to its very core. It encircles me like a big warm hug. I'm so glad
that God created us to be relational beings -- so we can have just a taste of
something Greater through the love and friendship of others. A little bit of
Himself.
So, as I curled up by
myself, late on the day after Thanksgiving, I had three little words pulled in
close to my heart.
He knows me.
I just sit still, letting
those words wash over my heart and calm my mind. They sink deeply into the most
personal corners, bringing security that drowns me in its wake. If I could
fully drink of what these words really mean...
Because He knows me, I
can trust Him to pick me up when I fail miserably {Ps. 103:14}
Because He knows me, I
can stand in His righteousness, clean and forgiven, with confidence. {Jer.
23:6}
Because He knows me, I
can always guarantee arms that will be holding me.{Ps.139:5}
Because He knows me, I am
free to give of myself to others without needing anything in return. {Col.2:10}
Because He knows me, I
can trust Him with my dreams for the future. {Jeremiah 29:11}
Because He knows me, I can
walk confidently knowing that my steps are perfectly marked. {Ps.139:3}
Because He knows me, I
know He has experienced every memory with me. {Ps.139:3}
Because He knows me, I
can be assured that my life will not be wasted {John 15:5}
Because He knows me, I
can rest in His acceptance of me above all others {Ephesians 1:6}
Because He knows me, I am
part of a family that shares a common bond in Jesus {Eph. 5:30}
Because He knows me, I
have free access to all that He is {1 Cor. 1:30}
All that, and so much
more. All because Jesus has redeemed me and called me by name as His own. Even
with the abundance of friends that I can share my heart with, none of them can
understand, truly understand, like Jesus. He
knows me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. What security. What
confidence. What hope.
So tonight, as every
other day of the year, I want to just thank God for those three little words.
Jesus
knows me.
This
I love.
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