I
have travelled through enough years that I now see the work of God in relation
to certain patterns in my life. One of these patterns has revolved around the
experience of walking with adults through unresolved childhood issues, and
contributing to the lives of children in the hope of minimizing unresolved
heartaches in their adult years. How good this has been for the adults and children
in my life, I cannot say. However, it has been very good for me.
Living
sandwiched between adults and children has given me some good lessons regarding
the differences between knowledge, knowing, and being known. Knowledge is about
facts and information. As we grow up, at least in western culture, testing how
much we know is typically based on writing down information in response to
questions. Grades are given based on our ability to remember facts.
Knowing
refers to our experience towards that information, or towards people. I may
have knowledge of a certain person, but knowing them requires a personal
relationship. I may have knowledge of an event, but those facts mean something
to me because I went through the experience, and know for myself what it was
like.
Being
known is our experience of someone else’s experience of knowing us. It cannot
be limited to people knowing facts about our lives, but requires that people
know us in a personal way, and we have that feeling of knowing they know us.
One
of the characteristics of adult-mindedness is that it focuses on knowledge. Many
people even seem to think it is a good thing to live in the “information age”,
which just happens to correspond to some of the lowest experience of personal
relationships. This is characterized by the now stereotypical picture of a
group of friends sitting in a room with each person lost in their technological
device. Knowledge clearly does not equate with knowing.
On
the other hand, one of the characteristics of child-mindedness is that it
focuses on knowing. Children want hugs and cuddles with people they know, not
people they know about. They have not first developed a character description
of a person, assessed the safety level, and decided to trust. They simply know,
and act accordingly.
Behind
the scenes of a child’s knowing is the whole world of how they are known. They
don’t realize it, but they know who they like to be with mainly by how well
those people know them. Long before they understand this in knowledge-terms,
they already find themselves responding to the people who know them, who care
about them, who have already directed love, concern, interest, and attention towards
them. The child’s knowing is a response to the caregivers knowing of them.
I
do not present this as the complete story on these three words and concepts.
Giving knowledge does not create knowing, or make people feel known. I share
this only to encourage us to seek the knowing and being known that the
knowledge of God’s word is pointing to. One beautiful expression of these
things is stated like this:
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise
man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the
rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he
understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and
righteousness in the earth. For in these
things I delight, declares the Lord.”[1]
I
love the way God distinguishes between us understanding him, and knowing him.
Understanding is based primarily on knowledge, while knowing is based on
experience. God wants us to understand him accurately, according to his
revealed words in the Bible. But he also wants us to know him. He wants us to
understand that he is filled with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness.
He was us to believe the facts that God delights in these things. But he also
wants us to know him in these ways. In the New Testament it is recorded as, “And this is eternal life, that they know
you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”[2]
This
is also seen in the way Jesus described the kind of worshipers the Father was
looking for. He told the Samaritan woman, “But
the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship
him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and
truth.”[3]
To
worship the Father in spirit, we must know him. To worship him in truth, we
must understand him the way the Bible reveals him. Both are required,
understanding God, and knowing God.
Another
beautiful expression of the way knowledge, knowing, and being known, all come
together, is in a revelation of hope for our life with God in heaven. It is
described like this: “For now we see in a
mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know
fully, even as I have been fully known.”[4]
The
apostle Paul was all for giving true knowledge of God. His epistles are full of
truth, written in love.[5] However,
he acknowledged that, in this lifetime, we can only know in part. Too many things
about living in a sinful world hinder us.
However,
the certain hope of every believer in Jesus Christ is that one day we shall “know fully,” even as, in this present
time, we are already “fully known.”
God knows us fully now; he leads us to know him in part now; one day we will
know him just as fully as he knows us.
Obviously,
such things lead us way beyond what knowledge and information can be written
into words. However, I hope that this awakens some sense of the childlike
hunger to know the God who knows us. His mercies are new every morning, meaning
that our experience of knowing him better today than ever before is ours for
the receiving.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”[6]
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”[6]
© 2014 Monte Vigh ~
Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise
noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)
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