Reality Check

This is one of the mentioned books
in case you never had a childhood.

Well you guys, my reality check for today is that my winter break ends tomorrow. I'll go to sleep in about an hour (if I'm lucky) and when I wake up tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn I will have to face the fact that I have classes to go to and professors to listen to. Its a reality I've been avoiding for what, like 3 days now? No shame. I love breaks, I love the freedom that I get, and the I feeling that I can just distance myself from anything and everything I choose.

IT'S LIKE THOSE CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE BOOKS THAT WERE ALL THE RAGE WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. 

Anyway, in my previous post, I mentioned that I wanted this year to be about a openness and honesty. So, here it goes...

This year, one of the things I have really decided to focus on is I really want to read my Bible through in a year. Like seriously, I have tried for the past maybe 5 or 6 years and I always end up falling out of it (usually around the genealogies and books of the law). So this year I am trying a chronological reading plan. Anyway, the purpose of that back story besides the honesty, is I recently was reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, which is probably one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. I think one verse in that chapter that has always kind of captured my attention is verse 12.

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 

1 Corinthians 13:12

I think the thing I find most striking about that verse is the phrase "fully known." I mean I don't know about any of you guys, but I don't think there is a single person who could say they "fully know" me. When I try to fathom the concept of being fully known by anybody, my first instinct is rejection. I want to throw up walls because I immediately begin to think of all the ways this person would have the potential to hurt me with the information they would have. Then my mind jumps to just how humanly impossible that would be, because if someone fully knew me they would literally know EVERYTHING about me. I mean, they would know everything from my favorite foods, to the things I thought, they would be able to read every inch of my body language and they would know every little detail about my life. Not only is that a massive amount of information, most of that is stuff I don't even want to know about me!! Now take into account that God holds near and dear all that information not only about you, but every single one of the other 7 billion people on the earth. 

MIND BLOWN RIGHT?

Another thing that I find really striking about this phrase is the finality and permanence of it. Paul doesn't say "you will be fully known" or "you are at this second fully known," Paul says "I have been fully known." To me that's almost like Christ is saying, "Daughter of Mine, you are fully known by me, you will be fully known by me, and you always have been fully known by me. You are mine and I take delight in you: in all that you are and all that you are not." 

Just let that sink in.... We are FULLY known by the Most Holy and not only does He accept us in our dirty old rags still awash in our sin, he freely and without reservation lavishes his love on us, despite all the things he knows about us. That ladies and gentlemen, is 

THE UNCONDITIONAL, NEVER ENDING, UNFAILING LOVE OF A FATHER FOR HIS CHILDREN.

I am absolutely floored and undeserving, talk about a reality check.