Mo Isom Aiken on “Fully Known”

Spiritual Disconnect 

We were made for intimacy—spiritual intimacy with God that brings oneness and bears powerful fruit. We were made to know Him and be known by Him, fully. So why do we often feel burned out, distant, and disheartened in our journey of faith? How do we cultivate true intimacy with God? And what does His design of physical, sexual intimacy unveil of the full gospel story? 

Many of us juggle such busy schedules that we rarely have the time to be still and abide in His presence. Mo explains, “I laid down my life in matrimony, surrendered my body in childbearing, juggled every task and deadline, and motherly to-do’s as best as I knew how. I worked and worked and worked unto the Lord...Until the day I looked up and realized the intimate presence of the Lord was nowhere to be found...I whimpered, ‘God, where are you? I miss you.'” It wasn’t until she was so spiritually dry that she hit rock bottom and cried out to God. This uncomfortable brokenness caused her to dig deeper and search for the connection she so badly needed with her heavenly father. 

The Agitation 

Mo talks about what she calls “The Agitation”—times when God makes us unsettled and uncomfortable to bring us closer to Him. “I truly believe there are moments in all our walks of faith when God allows for deeply unsettling angst, tension, and conflict in our spirits...He ultimately calls us to take accountability for our faith and to seek Him for the answers that evade our understanding,” she explains.

There is also a cost to serving Him in this. He calls us to sanctification. Mo shares, “He leads us to give up what is not of Him so we can receive what is of Him...There is suffering in this process and it is humbling, but under the shadow of His wing surrounded by His great love, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.”

Intimacy 

Mo shows us how God has given us a physical model of spiritual intimacy through His design of marriage, sex, and family. Exposing many roots of selfishness and perversion we see so often in our relationships, both human and divine, she invites us to pure-hearted and transformational communion with our Creator. Our relationship with God mirrors our relationship with our spouse. God calls the Church his Bride, and He is referred to as the Bridegroom. 

Her purpose in writing this book is to help us grow intimately closer to the Lord because she too has struggled with feeling disconnected from God and burned out.

Background 

When Mo was younger, she didn’t know God. She struggled to find approval from her earthly father. Yet, when he committed suicide, Mo was lost. As a result, she strived for perfection and approval from others. When she realized that her pursuit of happiness only left her broken and alone, she turned to Christ and gave her heart to Him. Assuming that as a Christian she wouldn’t struggle with old wounds, she found herself reverting back to old patterns of trying to earn God’s approval and acceptance. The Lord showed her unconditional love and helped heal her from the past, also helping her find healthy new patterns of intimacy with Him.