Crossing Jordan Ministries


Aug 6, 2019

Intimacy

The message in our church gathering this past Sunday was on Intimacy with Jesus. The two areas discussed were proximity and trust, which were on point and gave everyone something to pray about this week in considering what may be keeping them from intimacy with Jesus, our spouses or significant others, close friends. When we talk about this topic in our counseling sessions another word we discuss in the area of trust is vulnerability. You cannot have intimacy without vulnerability. We need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable to the ones we desire to be intimate with. This means that we risk getting hurt. Growing up we had parents that hurt or disappointed us, friends who betrayed us, and for many God who did not act in the way we wanted or were expecting. Over time these events erode the desire to fully trust and be vulnerable with anybody. Who wants to be hurt again?…I need to protect myself. If you are not willing to take this risk you will miss out on the very thing that was built into us…an intimate connection with God, which flows down into our relationship with others.

The good new is that these events do not have to rule our lives and prevent us from having those intimate relationships. What we need to do first is begin the forgiveness process of those that have hurt us. Ask God to search our hearts for those events that have impacted that trust and forgive them. I know this may sound funny to some people, but the forgiveness may include God for not acting the way you wanted Him to act or thought He would have acted. It is not that God did anything wrong, but this is you changing your heart position and removing any wedge between you and Him. How can you trust to share with someone that you feel hurt you in the past whether it is true or not? God has big shoulders, so He can take it. He is okay with it.

As you work through the forgiveness, pick an area in your life that you are willing to share with God or someone you have a safe relationship with. Maybe your finances, your relationships, or a struggle you are battling. Let them prove to you they are trustworthy. Let God prove Himself. But also be aware that they may disappoint at times because that comes with vulnerability and intimacy. It is those times that actually draw you closer because you are learning more about each other as you work through the hurt and build a deeper trust and a deeper intimacy.