A terrifying question that my wife will ask me from time to time is this: “Who really knows you right now?”
It’s terrifying because the answer is often “Well, no one, really.” Why do we run from and avoid intimacy and vulnerability? As children, we put up defensive walls to protect ourselves from that which scares us or has the potential to harm us. But as adults, we tend to keep those walls up — especially in the Church, as there remains the stigma that “we must keep it together”.
Over the last years, it seems to me that there is an awakening, where people are beginning to acknowledge their limits and humanity, and step into a realistic and humble view of themselves. It’s not prevalent in all circles, but it seems to be growing in acceptance — it’s okay to be known. And we all want to be known and real, right? For most of us, we’ve spent too many years faking it and endured too many surface-level conversations. It’s time for a change.
So what’s the change in your life? If you were asked that question, “Who really knows you?”, what would your answer be?
Then take a risk and share something personal. A fear. A joy. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge what is really going on. I pray you will be pleasantly surprised on this new journey of knowing and being known.
PS- Those of you who are married may count your spouse as your only necessary confidant, and I encourage you to be authentic and communicate well with him/her, but there is something about rubbing shoulders and sharing with someone who is the same gender as you… guys just understand guys better, and likewise, ladies understand ladies (clearly, men don’t 😉 ).