“Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.” “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus said. “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
John 4:16-18
Do They Know You?
How many people in your life truly know you? We all face the challenge to allow ourselves to be known, even though this creates vulnerability and could allow someone to use our truths against us. While we continue to try to balance our relationships with others, our Creator knows us and loves us just as we are. Because of Jesus, we can experience what it means to be known and loved anyway.
In John 4:7-15, Jesus asked for water, and the Samaritan woman pushed back for different reasons. When Jesus offered her living water, she asked Him to give her this water so she would never thirst again.
The Risk and The Reward
In today’s reading, Jesus tells her to get her husband and come back. I wonder if the Samaritan woman hesitated before responding. I believe we all feel pressure to put up a positive image to others. But then again, no one wants to risk missing out on living water for oversharing personal details.
The Samaritan woman was honest in saying she did not have a husband. Jesus not only agreed with her, but then gave additional details of her life. The Samaritan woman realized that she had just encountered no ordinary man; Jesus knew everything about her and loved her just the same.
To Be Known and Loved Anyway
We have nothing to hide from the Lord. He knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on our heads, according to Matthew 10:30. God knows all our sins, wrongdoings, and shortcomings, yet He chooses to love us anyway.
Stop living in shame or guilt, and accept forgiveness as you turn from sin. You are already thoroughly known and thoroughly loved.
Now What?
For nonbelievers, God loves you just as you are. There is nothing you can do to outrun His love for you. Dwell on that fact. God loves you in a way no human can and pursues you lovingly.
For believers, stop trying to hide parts of your life from God. Give him complete control of all aspects, even those areas that make you uncomfortable. Live in His unending grace and be more fulfilled.
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