Hi, You Are More readers! My name is Amy, and I blog over at Sweet Home Santa Barbara. I’ve gotten to know Ally through blogging and social media, and as I’m sure you all have as well, I’ve been incredibly blessed by her big heart & passion for the Lord. I feel humbled to be featured on her blog today, and am so thankful that she has generously offered to share you all with me as she tends to sweet baby Elyse. 

In case we’re new friends, that’s me and the guy I’ve got a big ol’ crush on, PJ. We call him Peej over on the blog, or the wedding crasher that stole my heart. That’s right, wedding crasher. We met at a wedding that he snagged an invite to by meeting the bride less than 24 hours before the big day. Some may call it a great love story, but I call it Jesus. That Man’s been writing good love stories since forever. 

Since that dreamy occasion, weddings have kind of become our thing. We will have been to 7 in our first year of dating, so it’s only fitting that my story today has some sort of tie in with the ceremony of matrimony. And thus, I give you a story from a recent bachelorette party. 

We were enjoying a much anticipated dinner after a day full of celebrating our bride. Scavenger hunts with pretend proposals from strangers, games of guessing who brought which lingerie gift, there had been no shortage of fun or laughs. Our table was long, surrounded with many faces gathered to fill our dear friend’s evening with love before she declared hers before all of us in a matter of weeks. 

Of the many ladies around the table, some I knew and some I did not. Some I had just met, some had been close friends for years, and some were still strangers. 

Do you ever have that moment where you meet someone who you have totally already internet stalked? No? Just me? Welp, I’d deny it if it didn’t ruin the rest of my story. But alas, I confess to be a social media browser. 

{Browser sounds way less creepy than stalker}

One of the ladies in our party was my friend’s wedding photographer. She’s prominent in our church / Santa Barbara community, and naturally I peruse her website periodically to admire her work and dream about all things wedding. 

As we gathered to take a picture outside the restaurant, I was standing close enough to introduce myself. I did so, and ever-so-conveniently turned up the awkwardness about five notches as I found myself unable to stop rambling. 

“Uh, hi, you don’t know me but I know you and I look at your website all the time and I love your pictures and yeahhh, basically you’re awesome. And hi, I’m Amy.”

I extended my hand, and was met with words that shocked the already star-struck version of myself. 

“I know who you are,” she so sweetly responded. And guys? I acted like Julia Roberts just told me she knew me.  

“You do? You’re like, a celebrity. Woah, really, you do? That’s crazy.”

And probably fifteen other giddy phrases popped out of my mouth. I couldn’t believe that she knew who I was. 

Sitting in church the next day, it hit me. That response that effortlessly leaked out of me upon discovering that I was known, Jesus should get 100X that. 

All of a sudden, it was put into perspective for me. He knows my name. One day, I will get to heaven and sit face to face with the Celebrity of all celebrities, and He will look me in the eye and say “I know who you are.” 

That should rock me. Knowing that should cease my attempts to ever find validation in anything in this world, when the King of the universe has already declared that He knows me. He likes me. He loves me. 

In eternity, we are all going to be celebrity status. We are all going to be on the VIP list, when the Savior of the world points to us and says, “I have called you by name; you are mine.” {Isaiah 43:1}

He knows us, guys. He really knows us, inside and out. Let’s not let that fact ever grow dull. Let’s imagine how we would feel if our favorite celebrity acknowledged us personally, and called us a friend. Let’s realize the weight of the one and only God doing just that, and even more. He fights for us. Chooses us. Loves us. And He died for us. 

Let’s own that, and be the world changers that He created us to be.