Our deepest desire as humans is to be known-to be seen, soothed, made to feel safe, and then launched into the world from a place of security, always able to return to that community when we sense the need for the resources made possible by secure attachment. We long to be desired without being consumed or exploited. We hunger and thirst for connection that anticipates nothing short of deep and lasting joy. However, this desire to be known is just the beginning — necessary and primary but also a preparation for something more.
Being loved as God loves us readies us to make, as God has made us and the world around us. As image bearers of the triune God, we reflect his image not only in our character, in the capacities of our minds, and in our constitutional interdependence; we also reflect his image in our desire to create and to do this within relationships as well. Moreover, in our acts of creativity, we long deeply for our creations to be objects of beauty, artifacts that unquestionably draw our whole selves in, that captivate us and hold us. In other words, we are created to be known in order that we might further steward and create beauty — which in turn cycles back to deepen the relational process of being known.
This is an excerpt from a book The Soul of Desire by Kurt Thompson MD. If you would like to buy this book please click here.