There is something comforting about God knowing me intimately.
It is comforting to know that God knows me through and through, the knows everything about me. God knows my motivations and my past better than I do. the comfort comes from knowing that God knows all of that and still loves me, cares for me and works in my life. God doesn't write us off because of that knowledge, like we might.
The challenge is for me as a pastor to be that way with my congregation. As pastor I am privileged with a great deal of personal information about people. For some people that is too much for them to handle and they find it difficult to be in worship knowing that I know certain things about them. Unlike my predecessor, I have never betrayed a trust or divulged private information. But some people have difficulty with the knowledge I have of them.
All I can really do is pray for them and do my very best to treat them with dignity and respect and not allow the knowledge to change my actions toward them. For many that works, but for some....
Lord, help them to know You and feel safe in your presence. Help me, in some small way, to be like you and to help people feel safe in my presence. Amen.
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