Genuinely Know (Part 2)
As I’ve planned out posts, and scheduled them for this space, I thought it would be helpful to share with you all a little more about my heart. Below you will find the first of four posts, spread out over the next few weeks, that invite you in to more of my vision this website.
In sixth grade I had a good friend that we will call “Katie”. Now, it’s true, memory fails me a lot with little stories from my childhood so I can’t tell you a ton about the times we hung out. I do know there were sleepovers, shopping trips and I think even a trip to an amusement park. More than that, though, I can tell you that I would have considered her my best friend. She was someone I really wanted to keep getting to know. With text messaging not an option and surviving middle school even before the days of AIM on AOL, the only way for us to talk when we weren’t together was on the phone.
Here’s the thing. I’ve never liked talking on the phone. I don’t mean the kind of phone call where you need to find out if a store sells something before you drive there or how much a ticket is. Those are fine; easy and convenient. But the idea of calling someone up “just to talk” somehow overwhelms me. What will we talk about? How long should the convo last? What if no one has anything to say? I am awkward. What if they feel awkward? My face is cringing even as I type this out. I’ve felt this way for as long as I can remember.
Now, like I mentioned a second ago, while many of my childhood activities are hard to recall, of course I would have a clear memory of one particular sixth grade evening. Once again, I cringe, thinking about telling you the next part of this story. It’s very safe to say that my awkwardness runs deep. Convinced I’d make Katie my friend forever, phone-phobic me decided that I was just going to have to call her. It was time to face my biggest fear.
Sitting on the floor of my bedroom, I armed myself with a little piece of paper and a pen. As I worked up the courage to call I also worked on scribbling out a list of things that we could talk about. School, boys and an upcoming trip would top the list. I had great confidence I’d be prepped and ready to ward off any difficulty in the conversation. Satisfied that there was no way this call wouldn’t last for hours, and I’m sure deep breathing, I picked up the phone and dialed. No doubt I was torn between the hope that she would answer and prayers that she would not.
My friend Katie did in fact answer that night and we covered all that was on my list…..and more! Total conversation time? No more than five minutes. Womp womp womp. I laugh to myself thinking about it now. She was being interviewed without even knowing it.
Overall, my friendship with Katie ended up being incredibly surface level and as short as that phone call. Still, old fears die hard, and while not phone call related, when Matthew and I first got engaged a similar thought would often plague my mind. It’s probably that I was still traumatized by that night in sixth grade. Regularly, and also out loud (sorry, husband) it was not at all unusual for me to wonder how I might spend even ten years with anyone and still have something left to talk about. This thought wasn’t enough to scare me off from marrying Matthew, but the idea sure did fascinate me.
Last week, I shared the first of a series of posts based around my vision for this website. In The Greatest Gift, I focused on the primary way in which we must know God – that is grace, through faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and belief in his resurrection.. This alone changes everything. Surrender and acceptance of this truth is the most unbelievable thing that could ever happen to a sinner and the only way that we can enter into a relationship with the Father.
I am convinced that after this, the next best thing we can do in our relationship is grow in our understanding of and knowing who God is. We must continue to get to know him and, unlike my fear before that phone call or as a newly engaged woman, we will never be able to exhaust all there is to know. His character and his promises are far beyond our comprehension. In fact, if they weren’t, he would not be God.
I do wish I could intimately know all of your stories. I am certain that were we to sit down over coffee, the experiences of our lives would vary greatly. I’d hope we would tell of our victories and enjoy great laughs; I’d want to learn about your best friends, your husbands and your families. I’d love to know your favorite memory and pretty please, could we spill on our most embarrassing moments? I’m also certain I cannot begin to fathom some of the questions, heartache and hurts many of you may also possess. In some trials, our stories would align; in others, you may know grief I never will. I’d be honored to carry that with you, too. While we cannot share all of those things, what we each possess, I pray, is a desire to know this God of ours more. What a privilege to not only learn about his character but to share in his sufferings.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ….that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”
Philippians 3:8,10 (ESV)
As I think about the events from the past and present that have shaped our lives, I am supremely confident that the God who allowed each circumstance was present for them. In fact, I believe he is sovereign over them, loving through them and has absolutely never changed. He made the good days and the bad days; and, I know this, because he has told me all of this about himself, and so much more, in his Word. He is worthy of worship and he alone is King. Knowing Him is my greatest privilege.
1 Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
4 For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
5 He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.
6 The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
7 He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
9 For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
10 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.
12 What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
13 The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
14 From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
15 He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
17 Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.
18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
19 He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.
20 We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
-Psalm 33 (ESV)
I still remember sitting at my desk, sophomore year of college, when I read verse six of this Psalm for the first time. At that moment, I was blown away by the majesty of God! Imagine it – he spoke and the heavens were created; he breathed the word and all the stars were born. I can politely ask orrrrrr agitatedly yell, and still, it’s rare that I can convince my children to obey the first time. God, however, created the stars in effortless fashion and a display of astounding power. Reading the entire passage, I continue to be amazed by all that our great God is. Nestled within these twenty-two verses are references to the amazing character of this God – a God that has made a way for us to genuinely know Him through his Word.
As Matthew and I approach year nine of marriage and it’s safe to say the words are still flowing. I have great confidence now, even after all this time together, that we’ve only scratched the surface of all that we might know about one another. The reality is there are still so many things worth knowing. It isn’t that I’m always hearing new stories or learning new fun facts. Most of what he tells me now I’ve already learned. What I continue to gain, instead, is a clearer picture of how he sees and responds to the world around him. To say it more plainly – I understand more about his character.
He has great patience with undeserving sinners (our kids, of course). I’ve seen his generosity to others and been a recipient of his selfless service, even in the most trying of situations. I am certain that as we grow older, and life brings more blessings and trials, that this genuine knowing of my husband will allow our relationship to not just survive, but thrive, as we face whatever the Lord allows. This won’t just happen, though. I must faithfully pursue this knowledge.
The same is true in our relationship with God. Through his Word, through prayer, and through fellowship with other believers we will have the opportunity to know the Lord more and more. Our continued endeavor to do these things will showcase, to us and others, more of God’s glory and his character. We will experience more and more of his presence and we will grow in our ability to see the world and others around us like he does. This knowing of God is invaluable and will be required for us to continually walk faithfully with Him for a lifetime.
God is infinitely better than the most admirable human we know. He is much more faithful than our most loyal friend. He desired to know us so very much that he willingly gave up his own son. To follow Christ means our lives will be better because God’s way is always best. Better won’t always mean easier. It certainly will be more joyful and fulfilling.
When God does something differently than we had hoped or planned, I pray that you know that he is trustworthy . He possesses power that is unimaginable for small, little humans like us. Our world around us may often feel like it’s in a constant state of change and heartache, but our God is eternal, unshakeable, unchanging. God is Creator, watching over us and knowing each of us better than even we could ever know ourselves . He loves us, protects us, and is truly our only hope. Isn’t it humbling as we recognize that he invites us to learn even more.
An authentic relationship, one where we faithfully seek to know God, ensures that come rest by still waters or climbs from dark valleys we will trust in his ways, worship him faithfully and make his name known among all nations!
How will you pursue knowing our holy God, and his character, more intimately today?
Enjoying this website? Encouraged to know the Lord more? Would you consider adding a comment and sharing your favorite posts with others to help grow this community and ministry?
Ashley M Spivey 