You Have To Know Before You Can See

Week 10: You Have To Know Before You Can See

Happy Sunday, everyone!

So this week I have been reminded of quite an interesting phenomenon that takes place in all of our lives:

You have to know before you can see.

Now what do I mean by this? It’s like reading your favorite mystery book and trying to discover who the villain is as you read, but when it is finally revealed at the end, a million dots connect in your head at lightning speed. You technically saw all of the clues beforehand, but you didn’t see the full picture that they painted until the truth was revealed to you. It is like when someone surprises you for your birthday with a big party and you exclaim “I knew it!!” even if you didn't reallllyyy know. You just thought it was weird how such and such happened earlier in the day; and that insignificant thing now has meaning to you.

Now, there are some depressing scenarios for this. It can be discovering a significant other has been cheating on you, that someone has been lying to you about something, that someone was using you for the entirety of your relationship. Then of course, seeing all of the signs afterwards. And those suck to think about, so let’s not go there today. Because I think that there is a much grander vision for this “aha moment” feeling that I’d like to share with you. Which is this:

You can’t know the love of God until you’ve been told the truth about Him.

NOW HANG WITH ME GUYS!! I am absolutely NOT saying that God doesn't love you before you know Him. Exactly the opposite, actually. I mentioned above about how you can see all of the little details before the truth is revealed but how they don’t make sense or even really stand out until you know? That is God’s love. It is all over your life in so many incredible ways and at all times. But if no one has ever shown you what that love looks like, if no one has ever shared the message of the Gospel with you, you won’t recognize that that’s what it is.

For me, this is a weird concept because I was very fortunate to have family members pray over me before I was born and expose me to Christianity from infancy and upwards. I don’t remember a single day where God was not a part of my life. I’d walk around as a child asking Him questions, speaking with Him, memorizing my prayers and writing them out and hiding them in random corners of my home. The first song I ever wrote at six years old had the line “How can I forgive? I’ll ask for the Lord’s help…”

So, in other words, I have never gotten to experience what I am writing about today myself. In little ways, yes. But not in full because I have always known and therefore, always seen. I have recognized God showing up in my life for my entire life. And so I came to understand this concept by flipping it on its head in my moments of pain. Which is actually what inspired me this week to see the upside.

I’ve been an incredibly tough critic when it comes to the millions of “Jesus loves you” and “Believe or else” messages floating around on the internet. There are a ton of different ways that people try to persuade you, scare you, and pressure you into the Gospel message. And I run from all of those.

What I have found most helpful with people seeking the truth is using reason, patience, and understanding that it is not me who waters the seed that is planted by hearing. And so that is the approach I try to take when I talk about God.

The biggest thing I encourage you to know is that truly, deeply, and fully, God does indeed love you. He loves you even if you hate Him. He loves you when bad happens and when good happens. He loves you no matter what you hide or what you’ve done.

The thing that has most changed my life by knowing God is having my eyes opened in periods of misfortune and sadness. Because if I had not known God’s love, I would not have recognized Him in the midst of tough decisions, moments of rejection, redirection, and all else. God’s love has enabled me to see that there is a bigger picture, even when I can’t see it myself. And it has enabled me to find meaning in all of the little ways He appears, whether it be an old friend crossing my mind to then receive a text from them right after, the sun opening through the clouds as I speak with God on my walk to class, a plan falling through on the spot that brings you to something spontaneous that you and your friends will remember forever.

All of these things won’t seem significant at first, and they may never seem significant. And it may be scary to believe that they are. But I would like to challenge you to see today; to see that there is a bigger picture in the universe, a plan that has been unfolding for all of time, and a creator that made you with purpose, love, and intent. And not only did this, but made you worthy, made you holy, and made you a co-creator with Him.

You can continue through life, still being loved by God, but choosing to not see. And that will not take His love away from you. Or you can allow yourself to consider some things: that you cannot model love until you’ve experienced it, you cannot model hate until you’ve been shown it, you cannot model service until you’ve been served, and you cannot un-know what you know. So I hope that whether you accept God or not, that you know He sent His only son to live the life we could not live, to overcome sin and death, and to take the punishment we deserve upon the cross. And I hope that all of the dots connect in your mind and heart, that you see the full picture instead of just seeing the small pieces scattered in your life.

I also hope that you dig deeper, because that small description I just gave you is confusing and if I didn’t grow up with the full story, I’d probably reject it if that was all I saw.

ALSO: I never want anyone to feel that they are less or left out because we believe different things. So I want to encourage everyone to reach out to me if you feel differently than I do, if I’ve said anything hurtful, or if you’d like to discuss anything I’ve mentioned. I believe conversation is essential and important to have and that this blog barely scrapes the surface.

Here is a podcast from the church I attend in Nashville that may help give you a better idea:

Thank you guys :)

-Lexi Cummings

Photo Creds: Inez Lopes