You Need to Know
by Anna Schatz, Guest Blogger, on June 27, 2022
Several years ago, a woman shared with me how her husband had been hospitalized for a rather serious situation that involved a great deal of pain. After waking up from a lengthy surgery, he slowly came to, reached for her hand, and said, “Honey, I need you to know that I love you.” Having been happily married for several decades, she assured him, “I know that you love me.” To which he responded, “No. I need you to know that I love you.”
This tender moment illustrates the rich intertwine of authentic love and the layered dimensions of comprehending its fullness.
In the context of mutual relationships, love matures in tandem with intimate knowledge and a growing understanding of one another. The cycle works a bit like this: knowing sparks love, love inspires greater knowing, greater knowing produces even deeper love, and so forth. This ever-deepening cycle builds a healthy relationship.
However, in the context of a Christian’s relationship with God, love and knowledge work together differently. Father God fully knows His children and loves them infinitely – He does not become more intimately aware of His children nor does His love for them mature. Rather, knowledge and love are unshakeable absolutes flowing out of His nature through the lens of Jesus Christ. Instead of building a relationship, God brings relationship to all who receive Him.
“Instead of building a relationship, God brings relationship to all who receive Him.”
Conversely, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to grow in their understanding of God. While He operates in fullness, Christians mature through an ever-increasing awareness of God’s love towards them.
Christian Maturity
The Apostle Paul captures the need to understand the love of God more deeply in his letter to the Ephesian Christians. Having already come to know God (Ephesians 2:1-9), Paul prays that God would empower them to understand “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Interestingly, he further describes Christ’s love as “too great to fully understand” (3:14-19).
The paradox creates an ongoing need for those who know God’s love to come to know it better.
The Trouble Is
Many Christians mistakenly view themselves as building a relationship with God instead of receiving relationship. Perhaps seemingly minor, the differences are significant. Approaching your relationship with God as one needing to be built leaves room for insecurity to fester and pressure to mount. On the other hand, understanding yourself as receiving relationship invites you to mature freely while already enjoying its stability.
The Key Is
If you’re caught amid the cycle of striving and insecurity, I invite you to lean more deeply into God’s love for you. Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to give you a greater understanding of the Father’s love for you through Christ. Follow up by being attentive to His prompts and relishing in the truths He unfolds to you.
Yes, you may know that He loves you. But you need to know that He loves you.
Anna Schatz enjoys convincing others of God’s extravagant love for them. She’s pursuing a Master of Theology degree through Dallas Theological Seminary, writing, and enjoying opportunities to speak. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family, including their miniature labradoodle. You can find her at annaschatz.com or on IG.