To Be Known

This coming Tuesday, I head back to Ann Arbor to prep my body for yet another ablation on Thursday. The reason for early admission is I will be taken off some of my heart meds in order to create a “best case scenario”, but I also won’t feel great. The idea of having to go through this again is daunting at times, but I also know it’s what I need to do to keep fighting this heart failure.

I’ve already had to switch up some meds and because of this, I’ve become very fluid-overloaded. I took my water pills, but after what the scale said, I knew I should get my blood drawn to see how bad it was.

One thing I love about our town is that it has a small community hospital that is literally 5 minutes from our house. I don’t have to call to schedule an appointment and can walk in at anytime, during lab hours. I also have a standing order from Michigan set up at the hospital, so I can walk in and they know immediately what tests to run. But that’s the boring part.

When I walk into this hospital, I am greeted by the front desk lady who knows me by name. I walk up and she right away asks, “Here for labs?” You bet! She double checks my info and asks if I want to check-in using the kiosk, since she knows that’s the drill for me. Oh to be known…even if it’s at a hospital.

After checking-in at the kiosk, I saunter down to the lab. It’s in a different location at the moment due to the renovation of the old, but as I make my way down, I hear the familiar voices echoing out the doorway. I walk in, take a seat, and scan the phlebotomists working. Not a minute later, I hear “KRISTIN!!”

Not just a “HEY…” but a “KRISTIN!” It’s my favorite lady who has walked this heart failure journey with me since the beginning in 2017. Oh to be known. And not only am I known, but so is Mazy. If she is with me, she is greeted with just as much enthusiasm. Not only that, but the lab has snacks in a basket and if Mazy’s “favorite” snack isn’t in there (because she gets one too), my favorite lady goes into the cupboard to see if they have more. Oh to be known.

This time I didn’t get “my favorite lady”, but really they all are. This time it was someone I hadn’t met before, but after explaining what I was in for, she had a hard time believing I was there for heart failure. How? You’re too young!? What happened? Is it hereditary? The questions came, but all I could say was, “It was just something God allowed in my life.” And there I sat; I didn’t know what else to say. As I showed her my arm to do the draw, you could tell by her face that she was surprised to see the scarring from all of the draws and IVs I’ve had. A journey that speaks loudly through the scars.

Thankfully the blood was flowing and I was in and out of there in a jiffy. But I didn’t walk out without a “see you Kristin!” And usually I respond with, “See you later…”

Oh to be known. A small event in life, but one that speaks volumes to the beauty of being known. Where do you feel known? How can you help others feel “known” when they are around you? What can you say to someone to help them feel known?

May we all remember that most of all, we are known by our Savior.

Psalm 139:1-6 says…

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

To be known THIS in-depth by someone, let alone the Creator of the world, gives us all the acceptance and comfort we will ever need. It’s just sometimes that God gives us little winks of his love for us through creating moments like these. Even if it’s in a lab.