Aren't we all just a little...
Have you seen this show? Naked and Afraid? Two extreme survivalists are dropped in a remote location and have to use their skills to find their way out, and yes, they are naked! We can't stop watching! Like a car accident on the side of the road, or maybe a streaker? We know we should look away, but we don't. We can't. I cringe for their private areas. I want to yell, "Cover up! Don't burn your "privates," as we call them around here.
Not to worry, making some sort of covering for their "areas" is usually a top priority! Phewf! and of course, it got me thinking...In my own life, if something threatens to hurt me, my natural reaction is to defend myself, push back or even attack. Hurt it before it hurts me. I, too, want to cover places where I am sensitive and tender. Run for my life, perhaps.
Of course, it makes sense physically speaking, but what about emotional threats to the heart and soul? No one likes feeling emotionally vulnerable because it's scary, risky, and uncomfortable. A sense of self-preservation sets in when we feel insecure or hurt in relationships, and we want to hide and cover up, even run.
Can I be honest? Sometimes I feel so painfully vulnerable, naked, and exposed when a friend hurts me, my husband is insensitive, or the kids disobey despite my "perfect" parenting. Imagine being naked in front of someone with the intent of being intimate then being rejected.
Have you ever had an argument with your spouse while changing clothes? Maybe before bed or in the AM? You all of a sudden feel the need to put clothes on and cover-up. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? This is how the soul looks and feels. Naked and afraid and vulnerable and scared. The heart is sensitive, vulnerable, and more tender than any other body part. The Bible has this to say about the heart."Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flows the wellsprings of life." Wow, it must be important to guard my heart! The Lord does not say, "Guard your eye, for you will get sand in it.
"Guard your pinky toe if you stub it. It hurts like @#$%.
The nose?
A warning against paper cuts, perhaps?
No, the heart.
Above ALL, ELSE!!!!!! GUARD IT!!!
So then, are we justified in our self-preservation tactics? Throwing up a "hater vibe" or an "I will hurt you before you hurt me" attitude. Pretending to have low expectations, pretending to be low maintenance, and that we don't need depth of friendship or relationship. Maybe you are afraid to meet new people or invest in anyone. Don't require from them and don't pour into anyone, and avoid intimacy because the risk of pain is too great!
Is that "guarding your heart"?Is that what God means?Self-preservation?Shutting others out? Adam and Eve were the original contestants on Naked and Afraid. They chose to cover themselves and hide from God when they had sinned. He came looking for them and said, "Who told you that you were naked?" Who told you to be afraid and hide, these were foreign emotions before the fall before sin and corruption were introduced.
I hear God saying to them and to us, "Who told you to take matters into your own hands ( that is how they got there in the first place)? I have told you how to stay safe and protected. By trusting me. By obeying me. If My plans lead you to harm’s way, I will protect you, and you are not to be afraid. Be all in for Me and give your all to those around you, I will protect your heart. Guard it by following me."
I think of the way the whole family follows my husband through a crowded airport. He is bigger, faster, and smarter, and we look straight ahead, move how he moves, zig and zag as he does, and get there safe and fast. Imagine following an all-knowing God and hiding in the shadow of His wings, even coming to Him at the end of a long hard day, like a child after hard play with perhaps a scraped knee, some splinters, and lots of dirt, then having your Heavenly Father wipe you clean and make it better.
Would you shy away from that kind of intimacy? Would you reject that vulnerable place? When God’s plan leaves you vulnerable, He is faithful to protect you and heal any wounds. The phrase "Guard your heart", is a warning against being frivolous with your heart, not instructions to cover up and hide.
I want to learn to love unconditionally, be vulnerable, give, and forgive. I want to believe the best about others as I listen to the voice of God. I want to move how He moves and zig as He zigs. Zag as He zags. My job is to trust and obey. God’s job is to protect and guard my heart along the way. This was His plan all along, even for Adam and Eve. I can't help but think of Jesus when He was crucified and hung there on the cross naked and afraid, not knowing if His love would be reciprocated. He gave His all for us, not holding back, nothing contingent.Vulnerable.That we might come to Him.
We are commissioned to Love one another the way He loved us. While we were yet sinners.While we do dumb stuff.While we are insensitive.While we hurt each other. We are imperfect but have been left with a perfect example. Perhaps the command is this: Naked, if you will, and vulnerable, yes! But unafraid because Jesus has paid the price and is our rock and our shield.
Genesis 3:10
"I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.
"Isaiah 41:10
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.