To Be Known

A week ago while catching up with old grads, one of our friends who has done his fair share of travelling and living, and has recently decided to spend time back in the States, said something profound in his search for "what's next":

"It's not a question of knowing people; it's a question of being known."

How important it is for us to be known, and how challenging it is for us when we are not known. I've watched friends struggle with it since graduation - you move to a new place and don't know a soul, but even after six months, when you've hopefully at least established friends to say hi to and maybe even hang out with, you still are not deeply known. I've watched myself fall into the same unknownness in Namibia. It usually takes a long time to get to the point of being known. Rarely is it something that happens at a fast pace, and when it does, what a surprise and gift it is. "I feel like we've known each other forever."

We are loved by a God who knows us. And He surrounds us with people who know us and who we can know. People who anticipate how we will react to new situations; people who know when to write a card or buy us a cup of coffee because it's been a hard week; people who know how to pray for us when we don't even have the words. What a treasure these true friends are.

How important it is to surround ourselves by people who know us, especially coming off of a sad season, an extended time away, or an hard trial. It's easy for many of us to get to know people, but hard to plant yourself in a place where you are known.