You Are Free by Rebekah Lyons

Week 6: Chapter 5 — Free to Be Known

Read Chapter 5 of You Are Free. Primary passages: Psalm 139:1–4; John 4:1–26 (The Woman at the Well).

To be truly known — not the polished version, but all of it — and to be fully loved anyway: this is both our deepest longing and our deepest fear. This chapter explores what it means to be seen by God and by others, and why that vulnerability is the beginning of freedom.

Discussion Questions

7 questions

1.Rebekah points to the story of the woman at the well (John 4) as a picture of what it means to be fully known. Jesus knew her entire history — and chose to speak to her, honor her, and invite her into His mission. What does this story stir in you personally?

2.She argues that we cannot be truly loved if we are not truly known — that connection built on a curated version of ourselves is, at best, only partial. Do you have relationships where you are fully known? If not, what keeps you from moving toward that kind of depth?

3.Psalm 139 celebrates the fact that God 'searches' us and 'knows' us completely — our sitting and our rising, our thoughts from afar. Does that feel like comfort or threat to you? Why?

4.Rebekah writes about the cost of hiding — the energy it takes to manage perceptions, keep the right image, and make sure no one sees behind the curtain. What price are you paying to stay hidden?

5.The woman at the well ran back to her village and told everyone, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.' Being known became her testimony, not her shame. How might the things you are most tempted to hide become, in God's hands, the very things that connect you most deeply to others?

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Closing Prayer

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Lord, You know us. Not the version we put forward, but all of it — the parts we are proud of and the parts we have buried. Thank You that You knew us and still came to us, still spoke to us at the well, still chose us for Your mission. We confess the exhaustion of hiding and the loneliness of being only partially known. Give us courage to be seen — by You and by the people You have placed in our lives. Let being known become not our shame but our testimony. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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