Known and Loved

People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.  -Don Draper

Part of me feels so cheesy quoting a fictional character from a television show. However, the above quote from this week's episode of Mad Men really resonated with me. I wonder just how often I see (and accept) people for who they really are instead of who I'd like them to be. For that matter, I wonder how often people substitute an idealized version for the real me.  

Tim Keller has an excellent sermon on a related topic. Entitled Nakedness and the Holiness of God, the sermon is based on Genesis 3 -The Fall of Adam and Eve. It's one of my all-time favorites, and every time I listen to it, I pick up another gem of an insight. Here's an excerpt^:   

We were built to be known. We want to be known. We want someone to look in and say "I love what I see." We die for it because that's what we were meant for:  to be naked and unashamed, which means to be known and loved. Most of us feel like the best we can do is just be loved. In fact, the essence of the human condition now, Genesis 3 tells us, is that we feel we can only be loved if we're not known.

What tremendous comfort to know that while nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight (Hebrews 4:13), He loves us still and offers eternal life to anyone who believes in Him (John 3:16).  

^Download the entire sermon for free here: 

http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/nakedness-holiness-god