Known

I think that there is something ingrained in the human soul that desires to be Known. I think this is why we so often default to speaking about ourselves – seeking to fulfill this desire. We think that perhaps if we fill up the emptiness with enough noise, people will come to know us. But I think that there is an essential element to being Known that cannot come merely through reading a blog or pouring your heart out over a cup of coffee. I think that you must add Time.

And for me, that’s the hardest part about being Known. I love talking about myself. I love listening to other people talk about themselves. I think it’s the most fascinating thing in the world that everyone on earth grew up on the same land, with the same laws of nature, and yet turned out so remarkably differently. But I could spend hours explaining myself and listening to another, only to leave the conversation the same as I entered into it. I could tell you my deepest secrets, my biggest joys, my smallest quirks, but until you spend Time with me, live life along side me, they will remain anecdotes and fail to be reality.

One of the hardest things about moving away from my previous worlds and into this strange conglomeration inside of the beltway is the loss of being Known. I had spent 18 (23) years in the Village and 4 in Grove City and yet expected to move and be recognized as valuable, even cherished by the strangers I lived life in the midst of.

Unsurprisingly, this has taken some time. But recently, I have felt more Known by the small community I am building here. To be honest, I think it began when we started to pray. There is something about recognizing our common weakness before the One who ties us all together that is transcendent. It speeds up this process, replacing Time with Eternity.

By His grace, may we continue to Know and be Known.