TO KNOW AND BE KNOWN INTIMATELY
“Then he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?’” – Lk. 24:38
During Lent, I had an encounter with a homeless man who was playing his saxophone outside of a cafe. I first noticed him from afar. He has a very recognizable smile that is difficult to forget. After some hesitation and trepidation, I went up to him and asked, "Hey, do I know you from the Master's Table Soup Kitchen?” He responded by smiling and reaching out his hand for a handshake. I saw him visibly reconsider and instead, he gave me a hug. I asked if he wanted me to buy him some lunch, and he declined. After I questioned him again, he simply asked for a soda, almost to appease me. I wanted to describe this encounter, not because I want to point out how wonderful I am, but rather to point out how wonderful God is.
The whole encounter made me worry. Before I even approached him, I wondered if it was the right or safest thing to do. As a “germophobe”, I wondered what kind of germs were on me after he hugged me. As a dentist's wife, I worried about the fact that he was already missing teeth, and I was buying him a sugary soda. I also worried because we had BOTH just come from the soup kitchen, but embarrassingly, I didn't even know that until he told me, because I was too busy serving food that day to look up at his face! I worried that I wasn't volunteering the "right way." BUT, my encounter with this man was the absolute highlight of my day!
Upon reflection, perhaps I was the needy one, begging for simple human interaction, begging to be seen, to be known. Perhaps the man could see in my eyes that I needed a hug – that a handshake just simply wouldn’t cut it. God is so intimately good to each of us. He knows us personally, He recognizes us, and He satisfies not just our needs but also our desires. God longs for us to get to know Him just as deeply. To know and be known; this is a very essential part of divine love.
Look at my hands and my feet … Touch me and see – Lk. 24:39
How might the Lord be challenging the worry or “questions of your heart”? What are some concrete steps you can take to get to know Him more intimately?
Patty Hussey