Let's Get Naked

Jeff is really into ridiculous reality TV shows. Not the singing ones or the ones that follow celebrities, but those that follow average, everyday people. Truckers, alligator wranglers, pawnshop owners, tattoo artists, and especially survivalists. If my husband could describe his personality in reality TV show stars, he’d probably be a mix between Mike Rowe, Bear Grills, and Willie Robertson. Though he’s not exactly braving the wilderness when he uses his Amazon gift card to buy Poo-pourri and a zit-popping kit for his birthday. Can you tell he likes to rough it?

Not long ago, back when we had cable, Jeff found this show called “Naked and Afraid” and I would cringe every time he watched it. It wasn’t the blurred body parts that got to me, it was the absolute ridiculousness of the whole concept of the show that made me want to stick my head in a bucket of ice water and pray for the poor souls who came up with this. Seriously people. Can we not come up with some richer content? If you haven’t seen it, it’s basically just a random man and random woman stripped to their birthday suits and thrown out into the wild together with the goal of getting to some rendezvous point in order to be saved from mother nature. Creative, right?

There is certainly something vulnerable about being naked – letting people see the “real” you. This is most especially true with women. When I was younger I would cringe when I heard tales of boys towel-popping in their “community showers” in locker rooms. Girls tend to hate even the thought of this. We may feel comfortable changing into our nighties around our BFFs at a sleepover, but one big shower? And in a public place like school? But she looks better, and she’s skinnier, and she doesn’t have an ugly birthmark like me, we would think. We compare, we fear rejection, we get depressed about ourselves… all the while trying to hide those emotions with the latest make-up and fashions in order to close the gap between ourselves and our peers. What’s even sillier is that we compare ourselves to the naked bodies that we see plastered all over today’s advertisements and those are altered and doctored in order to mirror what our culture only thinks is beauty.

Specifically in the Church today, men and women alike tend towards putting a mask on, altering their looks and emotions, when they come in on Sunday morning. As they shake hands and greet others with the typical, “How are you?” it’s like we get those “I’m good” or “I’m fine” responses out before the question even gets to us. We may not know that the person whose hand we shook is struggling with addiction or depression, or dealing with a difficult boss at work, or that they just had an argument with their spouse on the way to church. They want to appear fine and we don’t want to bother with the task of digging deeper.

Ladies and gentlemen, your church family should be there to help you and it can’t be done in the two seconds it takes to grab a hand, and ask, “How are you?” before the preacher begins his sermon. Let’s take the time to get real with each other. You don’t have to shake everyone’s hand and tell them all your problems right there, but take the time to build up some deep and meaningful relationships with those in your church family - in and outside of that church building. If you are as introverted as me, you might show up to church activities, have a lot of fun with the people there, then go back home and feel friendless until Wednesday night comes around. Y’all this is something I’m truly working on. We need people to get real with. We need fellowship. Not just monthly potlucks (though we hungry Baptists need that too).

Our world needs real, not perfect, relationships with each other and with God. And the Church should be setting the example for this.

Let’s think about the first naked people in the Bible: Adam and Eve. They had free and open fellowship with each other and with God. They were roaming through nature and they weren’t “naked and afraid.” It wasn’t until they sinned that they became ashamed and even realized that they weren’t clothed. When God comes nonchalantly walking through the garden to greet them that day playing like he doesn’t know what’s up (kind of like when I act surprised to find my son devouring his toothpaste when he sneaks off to the bathroom for the tenth time that day), Adam and Eve know that they have harmed that transparent relationship they once had with God – they say, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Gen. 3:10). Nakedness reveals scars, blemishes, and imperfections.

When we think about our relationships, with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to have that perfect model in mind. Unfortunately we will not get to know such free fellowship with God until we stand face-to-face with Him, but we can get a glimpse at it through our relationship with Jesus Christ. He came and died for you for that very purpose! So that we might once again run naked in the garden. And it is basically impossible to not be real with God, so why even try? Each time you come before Him to pray, worship, or just talk, get naked. (Of course, I am talking metaphorically. Please don’t show up for worship on Sunday in your birthday suit. You might get kicked out.)

[Just as a side note: check out the naked (or partially clothed) worshipping people do in the Bible. Let’s not use this to promote corporate worship in our undies (Ha! Lord, please no!), but these peeps knew what it meant to get real with God. See Job 1:20-21 and 2 Samuel 6:12-21 for a couple examples.]

When we come to the Lord with the world stripped away from us, we are humbled. And that is where we will find safety and peace. This is going to sound funny, but I had this little realization about being naked and safe in the presence of God from my two-year-old. He is 100% a pants-optional little fella. He loves to raid his dresser drawers for pants to go outside or to copy daddy by riding on his trike and telling me, “I’m going to work” or “I have to go work legs” (Jeff likes to let me know what night it is at the gym as if I’m interested). But as soon as he’s ready to get comfy and play with his trucks or lay on the couch to watch a movie, those pants come off. I also noticed this week that when he is tired or upset, he starts stripping. Whenever he is feeling vulnerable or like he doesn’t have control of the situation, he starts kicking off his boots and shimmying down his blue jeans, all the while making a scene of exaggerated sobs. Now he only does this at home (thank the Lord), but this is where he feels safe and knows he can get vulnerable. Getting naked for him is freeing and makes him comfortable.

Do you notice that the older we get (and the more our mothers tell us its not polite to run around naked in public), the more we avoid our naked bodies in the mirror (ladies)? We might feel ashamed or frustrated or even disgusted... Let’s stop this – both physically and spiritually. We often try to tell kids in church that God loves them just the way they are and, you know what, I think that these littlest ones may have a pretty good idea of that already. We just let the world change and distort that truth over time.

Let’s get real. Let’s “get naked.” With each other and with God. Because He really does love you just the way you are. When the Lord looks at you, at your naked soul, your true self, He loves you. Unconditionally. Immeasurably. For all eternity. It’s time we started believing it.