Depending on the translation of Scripture you look to, the word heart shows up somewhere between 400 to more than 900 times! No matter how you cut it, that’s quite a few. Though there are a few different variations of how the word is meant in the differing passages, a wide assortment of these verses speaks to the heart as the source of our true self. When you read through these different verses, you get the sense that the writers of the Scriptures, when they refer to the heart, are referring to our deepest senses of what we believe, value, and hold dear, and that how we move through the world is a product of our heart. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). That which is within dictates the person that we are on the outside.

We all know this experience in one degree or another. Some of us have had the experience of “snapping.” When the things that we’ve held in and pressed down can no longer be contained, that which is within moves to the outside. Some of us carry a balance of two or three or more “selves.” Segments of our heart, our self, are shown in one space, while other portions are revealed only in another. We bury our heart out of fear, doubt, shame, guilt, and the worry that we’ll be rejected if anyone knew “the real me.” This truth is pivotal in the development of our faith.

The Creator knows your heart and still accepts you. The Savior knows your heart and still died for you. The Spirit knows your heart and still chooses to dwell within you. You are fully known and fully loved. When we begin to accept this truth, we open ourselves to the possibility that we might, actually, lay our true selves in front of this God who created, saves, and dwells within us. You are fully known and fully loved.

Perhaps you have a few close relationships in which you’re able to open your whole heart; I’ve found this to be exceedingly rare. As noted earlier, we usually show one piece here and another piece there. But this leaves us moving through the world as fragments of ourselves, juggling which pieces must be managed in each of our differing domains. Imagine if there were one for whom you could be fully yourself. Do you see why this is such an important part of our faith development?

Christ’s presence on earth – lest we forget the season that we are about to enter – is proof that God desires nothing more than to be in relationship with you. But I get it, you’ve been burned before. You’ve shown parts of yourself, and you’ve been shamed, scolded, and rejected. It’s easy to assume that our God must look at us the same way. Sadly, it’s made worse by the fact that the church is often the group doing the most shaming, scolding, and rejecting. But look through Scripture. Look at the ways in which Jesus interacted with those that were being scolded and shamed. Look at the crookedness of the world that killed him, and how he loved them anyway.

Your heart is fully known, and you are loved.

I’d love to learn about your heart. Have a very Merry Christmas, friends.

– Ed Sutter