Joining the rash of reality television shows in the United States, Dating in the Dark hit the airwaves last summer. Each week, three guys and three girls got together for a week of dates—in a darkened room. They all made the rounds, talking and sharing meals as couples. But they never actually saw what one another looked like. At the end of the experiment, each of them picked the one they were most attracted to. Then, in a nerve-wracking encounter, they received glimpses of the other—discovering whether or not physical appearance ruined their attraction.

The whole enterprise preys on one of our most personal fears—if someone sees who we really are, they will want nothing to do with us.

This fear is why I find Psalm 139 to be so amazing. David tells me that there is absolutely nothing about me that God does not see. It’s out in the open, bright as the sun. No matter where I go, whether “I travel [or] rest at home,” God sees (Psalm 139:3). He knows my actions even before I think to do them (Psalm 139:2). My most private thoughts echo in God’s ears. God hears “what I am going to say even before I say it” (Psalm 139:4) There isn’t a single thing we can hide from God, no matter how hard we try.

Knowing this could make me fall down and cower before God. If God sees all my impure motives and my lustful thoughts and my shadowy desires, surely He finds me despicable. Surely God will push me aside with disgust. Stunningly, David says just the opposite. “How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” (Psalm 139:17).

God’s kindness toward us flows with pure, undeserved generosity. We are free to come out of the dark because God already sees and knows us—and loves us anyway.