Who am I?

Crazy quizzes pop up on every Facebook Feed.  I confess.  I love them.  They are fun.  What dwarf are you?  What city should you live in?  What color is your aura?  What dog breed are you?  In a world where time is a premium, what compels us to take nonsensical quizzes?  Theories abound:  nonsense quizzes counter data-collection fears, categorizing anything makes us feel in control, simple avoidance of more meaningful activity.  I suspect though the attraction of the silliness actually lies in the depths of our design.

From Genesis to Revelation, the call of the heart of God is ‘know me.’  He longs for us to know Him as He knows us.  Made in His image, every soul longs to understand itself—and understand others.  We are designed to know and be known—created for connection.  Buzzfeed Quizzes feed on that longing in a harmless way.  Introspection is not always harmless though.  Many lives have taken sad turns as individuals set out to find themselves.  Determined not to be like parents or fixated on proving one’s own individuality, many make choices that create difficulties.  The reality is we cannot know ourselves until we know the God who made us…for He is our design and our Designer!

But can we know God?  Can we know One whose thoughts are greater than ours; One who was and is and always will be:  the great I AM?  Absolutely!  Perhaps the greatest danger, though, is thinking that knowing about God is the same as knowing God.  Even the devils know about God, but they do not know Him.  I know of many famous people, but I do not know the burdens or joys they carry each day.  I do not know the shadows of their past or their hopes for the future.  That is the way God desires us to know Him.  He reveals Himself throughout scripture.  His names are revelations of Himself.  The first name He gave was “I AM that I AM.”  The birth of the Savior was announced with the name “Immanuel”—God with us.  His presence surrounds us. God longs for us to take the time to hear His call and seek Him.  The writer of Hebrews gives us a tip:

“… he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6

Beware though:  That very goodness of God sometimes derails us from knowing Him!  We love the blessings He pours out on us; we hug those tight and begin to worship the gifts instead of the Giver.  We think we are seeking Him, when in reality, we seek His favor and blessing.  He is long-suffering and His call continues:  Come closer, know me.

The passion to be known by His treasured creations weaves throughout Scripture and our lives.  All the earth proclaims truths of God.  Our deepest longings reveal a need to know and be known.  We crave connection and starve without it.  Infants deprived of nurture develop damaged brain patterns that range from emotional instability to mental retardation.  We are designed to connect, and the connection must begin with the Creator.  Know Him and be known.