I have been feeling disconnected. I'm not sure where that feeling is coming from. I have a lot of friends. However, I have very few CLOSE friends. I am quite guarded. One of the people I most respect at work is very guarded too. I have wondered if she is that way outside of work. Turns out, she is. She boldly shared her concern and her reasons. Like my reasons, she fears being misunderstood and so doesn't reveal much either. It has been weighing on her. Here's what helped both of us:
Did Jesus have lots of "friends"? Well, a few actually. Did He have lots of close friends? No, really only three. What happened when He truly revealed himself to them? Check out Matt. 17:1-14. That must have been simply amazing (even frightening), to see Jesus in His true form. Transformed from his earthly appearance to His true splendor right in front of their faces. He revealed Himself to His closest friends. They even heard the voice of God in heaven. They saw the REAL DEAL. It seemed that they "got it", it seemed they were OK, certainly amazed, but OK. Yet, later on they were the three in the garden with Him, and we know how things went from there. They didn't get it. Not really. If anyone on the planet could have "gotten it" it would have been them. THEY SAW HIM REVEAL HIMSELF, TRANSFIGURE HIMSELF. Yet, in the end, they really didn't get Him.
Jesus knows how you feel, He knows all that we struggle with. HE KNOWS. I realize that even Christ, when He finally revealed who He really was to His closest friends ...they still didn't really understand. He GETS how that feels. He experienced it too. So, when I am unable to find someone to understand me and "get me", I should turn to Him, because He's been there. He gets it and gets me. I shouldn't always seek for that one person who will "get me". He is sufficient.
This friend at work, that I so admire, also revealed that even her closest earthly relationship (her husband) doesn't always "get her". As she puts it, they are wired very differently, and often times the deepest issues of her inner spirit are not understood by him. He cares, but cannot fully understand. She seeks great comfort in knowing that Christ does understand. So when those in my life, even those closest to me, just don't seem to get me when I reveal myself to them, I know that I need not despair. I know they love me. I know they care. I know that desire to understand. And that will be enough. But I also know where to go from there...I go to Him. HE UNDERSTANDS ME, even when no one else can.
I find great comfort in that.
2 comments:
Peoples ability to understand others is soooo clouded by sooooo many different things, that it is not surprising we are often misunderstood, and that we often misunderstand others ourselves. Part of the problem of being understood clearly resides in our being "conflicted" ourselves. Being "conflicted" in some areas myself, I am sure I give off confusing signals at times that further cause people to not understand me. It's complicated. Probably would help if I tatally understood myself.
Hopefully all things will come clear on judgement day. I agree that God is the only one that will ever truly understand me, and I hope HIS understanding will be given to myself and others on that day. I long for and fear that day!
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