I'm Still Naked
There is value in undressing ourselves in the midst of others, but it's not likely what many people may first think.
Although I was present for my own birth, I have not been for the 10's-of-billions of other births in the world, so I'll have to make an educated guess that everyone else has come out naked too. (Though, if you came out wearing a Messi jersey or a pair of Supras, more power to ya).
The fact is, we've all been naked since day one; yet, for some reason, being naked remains one of the most enigmatic topics in our society. Nakedness is either applauded or frowned upon.
The avant garde might say naked is good. The bourgeois might say it bad. A married couple? Mostly good. Parents of a teenager? Mostly bad. You may welcome it in a book, loathe it in a movie, and it might even make you chuckle when you see a man run across a field wearing naught but his birthday suit.
But is naked good? Is it bad?
To answer those questions, we must first realize that there is not just one type of nakedness, there are two.
Type 1: Physical nakedness The first, as referenced above, is physical. The lack of clothing. Materially bare naked. This is what comes to mind primarily when people hear the word.
Most people say that this type of nakedness is good. Presumably, because it is the main gateway for sexual relations. However, that bare-skinned state is not just pleasurable.
Being physically naked is vulnerable. And because of that, it can be scary. There are no falsehoods you can don when stark nude.
'Cause when you're naked, there's no place to hide. Maybe this is why so many people are hurt when they expose themselves to sensuality—only to have their humility and affection treated with disdain and lack of commitment, thus dishonoring the previously pleasurable act.
As with everything, we must find the proper balance. People may belabor the point of that balance—but ultimately it is the healthiness of that balance that enables something to be the most good, the most right, and the most enjoyable that it can be—without fear of judgment or embarrassment: which is why I believe physical nakedness is best in the context of a loving, emotional, life-long committed relationship...(though also pivotal for taking showers, changing clothes, etc.).
It's the other type of nakedness that no one ever talks about, and it's relevance mirrors that of the physical.
The second is a nakedness of the soul.
Type 2: Naked of soul Allowing your soul to bear itself, completely exposed. Similarly to physical nudity, it is unnerving.
This seems contrary to the desire of becoming whole as we pursue excellence as people. It seems demeaning. We are naked, and on a stage, which appears unnecessarily humiliating.
So instead, we attempt to be strong enough, or valuable enough, or beautiful enough with our words or in our actions—so as somehow to make us whole. But we can never accomplish enough in these areas. And the real terrifying thing is, we realize that. Which is why vulnerability is virtually an endangered species of the character. A proof that we know the difficulty of presenting our soul naked to anything—let alone God. Because it will mean that either we'll be found out as invaluable, or we'll lose our autonomy.
But as with many things in life, the thing that appears most true...is most false. For the deepest desire of our raw soul is to be caught up into something real—the most-real something.
To be taken into that completes us, but we must empty ourselves, which is painful.
Yet when we give him ourselves. Our hearts. Our dreams and desires. All of us. We do not lose self. We are not humiliated. We are filled. Completed. Honored with grace instead of embarrassed by insufficiency.
I've spend the whole of my life being scared of people seeing me for who I am—yet, when I met Christ—he told me that he knows who I am and loves me anyways. He's seen me naked, and he doesn't find me invaluable, but infinitely worthwhile.
The healthy humility of baring ourselves unveiled gives birth to appropriately healthy pride in being accepted by God.
We no longer need to attempt to undress in other areas of our lives—morally, spiritually, physically—to achieve happiness. Happiness is now a by-product of baring our soul and seeing it lifted up into He which is greater.
The truth about unclothing our souls Taking off that which clothes and shrouds our hearts is, invariably, the most difficult thing that we must deal with in our lives. But learning to do so, will alter life in a way that no accomplishment or ability or mechanism could ever come close to touching. And our joy, and our ability to make a difference in others' lives will blossom incalculably.
As C.S. Lewis brilliantly puts it: "Eros have naked bodies. Friendships naked personalities."
There's a place for everything. But the place we must begin for a real/full life is within ourselves. And if the soul does become naked, it will be protected, strengthened and made real by the Creator of Souls.
This has changed me: how I see God, life, the people around me, and even myself.
I am so naked...and that is immeasurably freeing.
