There is Nothing easy about getting Naked
I have gotten naked more times in the last 5 years of my life than I have in the previous 45 years. I got naked when I worked through difficult topics in my marriage bed in order to communicate my needs. I got naked when I fully opened myself up to praying with my husband. I got naked as I shared my testimony before baptism with my entire congregation. I got naked when I nervously told a dear friend that God was calling me to share what I had learned about sex. I got naked when I taught my first class on sex and trembled in fear. And today, I will get naked as I participate in Shannon Ethridge’s Women at the Well workshop in Texas. I will spend 4 days unpacking my emotional and sexual baggage with 8 other women in order to experience healing and freedom in my life. Ultimately I am going so that I can bring back tools to help other women, but I know that the journey will be very personal.
I have also shed more tears and relied on God more than I ever have in my life. Getting naked is like hanging out on this cliff, and all you can do is cry out to God. All you can do is ask God to work through you. All you can do is hang on tight, because He is going to take you for this awesome ride that you could never have imagined. You keep your eyes on Him like Peter did when he was walking on water, and the minute doubt enters, you begin to sink.
God created me with a deep desire to be in relationship because I have been molded like Him. I want to be known. I want to be known by God, I want to be known by husband, I want to be known by friends. It’s not that it is easy. I am human and so is my husband and friends. We mess up all the time, and we do things that hurt each other. But I still want to be known. I would rather experience the pain of being known than live in an insulated world of walls.
I love to share what God is doing in my life. I love to pray for friends. I love to lie naked next to my husband, fully known, completely exposed.
God works wonders through our nakedness. In John 13 Jesus washed His disciple’s feet, but before He did, He took off his clothing and wrapped a towel around His waist. Jesus got naked before He washed them. We need to get naked before we serve others. We need to be real and unraveled and then God can really work through us.
So don’t let fear stop you from getting naked once in a while. God does His greatest work through our weakness.
Blessings, Ruth
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Amen! Your “nakedness” is a blessing and inspiration to many!
The more I get naked, the more natural it feels, but parts of this week were hard. We seem to always have some sensitive or undiscovered spots left.
Wonderful post, keep up the great work.
We will be married 40 years this winter. My wife and I have slept naked in bed together since we took off our specially selected “Honeymoon Nightwear” on our wedding night. The few exceptions through the years were when we were separated overnight, sleeping at other peoples homes, or when our kids were sick and we had to get up with them in the middle of the night, or if one of us was ill. We still sleep with at least one part of us touching the other. (toes, finger tips, or full body snuggling) We love each others’ “bareness” as we call it. I would encourage all married couples to experience this, if not every night, then perhaps once a week. If you are not comfortable sleeping fully bare, start by wearing less and less until you are in your full glory! Naked and unashamed! And yes, sex still happens most nights. And no, we are not models with perfect bods, but we love each other deeply.
Great post, thank you for your leadership and vulnerability.
As to John 13, I believe it is significant that the passage starts with, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God…”. That is, Jesus knew who he was, he had a secure identity. In my case, I was unable to get naked in the sense that you describe it until I had a secure identity.