Bare-Naked Honesty... This is the theme of the current season God is leading me through. I feel He wants me to be bare-naked honest about the things I am going through right now. I am sure there are many reasons that he has called me to this level of exposure, but the two which have been most recently revealed to me are:
1. I have available to me through my family, my church and even Facebook a VAST network of support. Without bare-naked honesty, no one knows how or when to pray for me. Without bare-naked honesty, no one knows how bad things really are. Without bare-naked honesty, no one can reach out and help us.
2. Another reason God wants me to be so open and honest is because of the blessing it is to others. Sometimes others are blessed by being witness to miraculous answers to our prayers, and sometimes they are blessed with hope as I share the depths of the darkness we have walked through and reveal that not once in the past has God EVER let us down.
But as in all things there is a dark and nasty side to all this bare-naked honesty. Imagine it this way for a moment. You are standing in the middle of a huge arena filled with all your friends and family. Some of these who fill this audience are merely acquaintances, your sixth grade teacher or that guy you vaguely remember from college. Others seated in this arena are intimately acquainted with you; they changed your diapers or have been your best friend since the second grade. All these people fill the seats, waiting for what you have to tell them.
You stand in the middle of a full court with cameras projecting your image onto that huge scoreboard screen above, and you drop your robe to stand there in nothing but your birthday suit. Your purpose for this is noble. Your nakedness is not for the mere sake of nakedness. It is for a higher purpose. It is to reveal your needs to others. It is to encourage and even warn
others.
Yet those around you start to point and snicker at the stretch marks that zig zag across your abdomen. They shake their heads and whisper, “That flab around her middle. That is why she is going through this.” Not everyone is laughing or judging. In fact, as you look closer, you see that it is really only a handful. Almost the entire arena has now stopped to bow their heads and pray for you. Yet those few mockers, those few judges, and even those well-meaning ones who like Job’s dear friends are trying to offer advice but are really just pouring more salt in your tender wounds, they are the ones that stand out. Their laughter, finger pointing, even their “friendly advice” seems to drown out all the prayers you hear being offered.
What is a person to do? “Grab your robe and cover up!” That’s the first thing your heart screams. You should have never opened up. You should never have tried this stupid thing called bare-naked honesty. But back in a little corner of your soul, you hear God quietly whisper, “Surely I desire truth in the innermost parts.” “Scream and shout and fight your cause to them!” That’s your brain talking now. It’s telling you to defend yourself, to present the 3-point sermon you devised in your head before you convinced yourself to drop the robe as God commanded. God counters, “Be still and know that I am God.” What does that mean? I am standing here, exposed and vulnerable. “Look up to ME!” thunders the voice in your soul. And finally you get it.
It doesn’t matter how others respond to your bare-naked honesty. It matters that you did what God told you to do. So get your eyes off the crowd. Turn your eyes up to the One to Whom your pleas are directed, to the One Who has the power to redeem you, to the One to Whom all praise and honor and glory are due.
I do not know what season you are currently walking through right now, but I know that no matter what it is that last sentence applies to your situation. It applies to you who are begging God to heal your children. It applies to you who are unsure how you are going to put meals on the table to feed your children. It applies to you who are walking through what very well might be the last days of your life. Turn your eyes up to the One to Whom your pleas are directed, to the One Who has the power to redeem you, to the One to Whom all praise and honor and glory are due.
This is beautiful and well put, Jami. I'm praying that your efforts are not in vain and your transparency, as I hear people calling it, bless yourself and others. Sometimes people don't realize that the refining fire we experience is not always the fruit of our mistakes or foolishness. Sometimes we are experiencing consequences for our choices and the natural God created order of things. Yet the challenges are still very real, no matter what the cause. I'm praying that the salt in your wounds has helped kill any germs that may have lingered (whether by your own negligence or atmospheric conditions that you had no control over). Jesus knows all and understand everything. He loves and cares for your completely. I'm praying that we all remember this, even in our darkest moments and heart wrenching battles.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. It's blessed me to be reminded that I'm not the only one who cares about these things.
I composed a sincere response to this, but lost it when I had to create an identity. Shucks.
ReplyDeleteI'll try again. This was beautiful and a blessing to me. It's great to be reminded that I'm not the only one who cares about these things.
Whenever I asked God why he would have people say things that are so hurtful about such painful situations, He reminded me that it helps me crystalize and strengthen my beliefs. The Holy Spirit teaches us many truths through His Word and our experiences. No one can take that away, whether they understand what we're doing or not. It's God's place to judge and correct us and our place to endure the comments of those that believe it's their responsibility. He justifies the innocent.
The challenges we experience that are consequences of our own foolish choices, do not necessarily disappear when we realize our errors. Thus, we need prayer and encouragement through the trials. I'm praying for you and yours.
Most genuinely, Joanne