Daily Word of Grace # 91 (July 21, 2020)
One of the greatest double albums in rock history is the 1973 album Quadrophenia by The Who. The album recounts the search for meaning by an adolescent named Jimmy. At the root of his struggles is the desire to be really known and really loved. In the song “The Real Me” Jimmy seeks help from a doctor, a preacher and his mother, but unfortunately does not receive what he is looking for—as the song ends with Jimmy asking, “Can you see the real me, preacher? Can you see the real me, doctor? Can you see the real me, mother? Can you see the real me?” Of course Jimmy is not alone, not by a long shot. Each one of us embarks on our own searches for meaning, and each one of us also has the desire to be really known and really loved. The good news of the gospel is that God is the one who searches you out, as Jesus said, “The Son of man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Moreover, the good news of the gospel is that you are indeed really known and really loved by God, whose love for you is so great it “surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). In other words, God’s answer to your question, “Can you see the real me?” is a resounding “Yes”, accompanied by equally resounding love.
Love and Prayers,
Dave