Christ knows us and loves us still. What a comfort! As His followers there is such great value in knowing others well AND being known. Kelli shares more…

Scripture

Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

I Samuel 16:7

Reflect

Not much gets unnoticed by the people we live with … the good, the bad, the ugly.  They see the real us all of the time, and they still love us.  And so does God. 

So, if the one who created us and the ones having to put up with us continue to love us through the good and bad days, why do we feel like we must put on an act for others?  By no means am I giving us all permission to open up the gates to emotional typhoons and poorly timed opinion sharing.  Rather, it’s a prodding for us to be the wonderful creations the Lord created us to be … not what the world is asking us to be.  There is amazing freedom and joy in being the REAL you in this REAL world.

1. Answer the question asked.  When asked, “How are you doing?”  Don’t be afraid to answer with truth and hope. “You know, things are a hard right now, but we are trusting in Jesus and grateful for life.” The burden of putting on an act is lifted from you and the person you are confiding in has just become an encourager and team mate to you.
2. Allow approachability.   It is amazing how much deeper your friendships will go, when you allow yourself to be real.  Have you ever discovered the girl who seems perfect also has struggles?  It allows you to breathe a little deeper when y’all are together.  She seems more approachable and in turn you learn so much more from walking through the hard seasons or problems together.  That is something we don’t want to miss out on!
3. Allow others to be real.  As others allow themselves to be vulnerable to you, allow them.  Don’t react, don’t let your mouth hang open.  Just listen.  And Pray. And Learn.

Deep, Christ-centered, life-giving relationships are created when we are okay with being real about heart stuff!

Camper Corner

Who in your school, neighborhood, team etc. do you see as being easy to know?  Why do you think that? How confident are you that God knows your heart and is crazy about you? When is it hardest to share with others what is going on in your heart?