Naked. Nude. Stripped down.
Vulnerable.
Something happens when you strip down bare in a place with others.
Suddenly, there’s no hiding; what you see is what you get. No hiding behind clothes. Every blemish, every wrinkle, every roll is on display.
The initial plunge into total nakedness is frightening but once the barriers are stripped away freedom abounds. I am vulnerable and I am placing all trust in those who are with me to see me: to see past my rolls of fat, my weird scars, my stretch marks and to see my soul because once all is stripped away, that’s all that’s left. I am all that’s left. My true self: my heart and soul are all that’s left.
How’s your soul?
How would you feel to put your heart on display?
As I stripped away my clothes in a Turkish bath house in front of my teammates and strangers I felt a bit like Adam and Eve in the garden after partaking in the fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They are stripped down, vulnerable, hiding from the Lord.
God, this is all I have to offer. This is me.
God, what do you see? Am I ugly? Dirty? Shameful? Or when you look at me do you see beauty? A kind and humble heart?
You see, really, that’s just it. He wants us to throw away all temporary barriers that we hide behind- clothes, makeup, physique, wealth, work, intelligence- and He wants us, just that and nothing else. He wants us in our nakedness to see how He sees us: A beautiful creation made in the image of a loving, awe-Inspiring God. So when you see me, you see the Father.
I am beautiful.
Yes, my physical body is “altogether beautiful” made in perfection by a perfect Creator
but I AM BEAUTIFUL. Deep down in my core, my heart and soul is lovely. I am gentle, kind, abounding in freedom and truth, loving, joyful, patient, peaceful, good.
And friend, you are too.
