Bare.

I've been thinking a lot lately. About my faith, about who I am, about who God is, the truth of His Word... and much more. It's an interesting place to be in. A month or so ago, God told me that I was going into a season of "simple faith." This didn't mean that He was taking me back to where I used to be, it just meant that He was taking me to a place where my faith would be solidified on the "simple" truths: for example, that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Grace, mercy... love. These "basic" concepts.

I'm at a place in my life where I want to be bare with God. Think about it. When God created Adam and Eve, they were naked. No shame, no guilt, no self-consciousness. Their focus was on God and that's all that mattered. It was only when they took their eyes off of Him that they realized they were naked, became ashamed of it, and covered themselves. When I say I want to be "bare" with God, I don't mean I want to walk around naked from now on. What I mean is that I don't want to hide myself. I'm tired of that part of me that points out all the flaws and all the failures. All of the ways that I'm not perfect. All of the ways that I may not be like "everyone else." Truth is, we all have flaws. We've all got things that we deal with. Whether those flaws be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual, we all have them. Why should we be ashamed? After all, we're human. I'm not saying that sin is justified, 'cause it's not. It's time we take ownership for what we've done, take ownership for our imperfections, and lay them before God. Be "bare" before Him, and before everyone else. Why? Because it makes us trust in Him. When we're bare, we have to rely on Him. Only He can protect us at that point.

It's time we quit living in a false world (whether in sin or in "perfection" or self-righteousness) and come to terms with reality. The true reality. Not that you'll only look beautiful if you have a size zero waist, or that you're only a "real man" if you like to kill things and don't show emotion. Those things are lies. Let's become a people that quit believing in those things. Let's be a people who love unconditionally. God does... so why don't we?

It's time for us to be bare before God.

It's time to be bare before this world.