Focus: Holy Scripture (7/7)
Day: 07/95
Pathway summary: Study of the Word of God with expectation of Holy Spirit inspired revelation.
Justification: (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Psalm 119; John 16:7-15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
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Setup:
Wrapping up the Bible study on Love.
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Prep:
Today's love-theme is intentional relationality (intimacy). The secret to resolving nearly all conflicts.
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Execution:
I started off with prayer and had some insights in which I thought I was supposed to head. I followed inspiration and found that the concept of intimacy is even more throughout scripture than forgiveness; add to the mix the fact that many of the subjects in the Bible are nearly-intimacy related ... and you're left with just about the whole thing. I ultimately wound up being inspired by Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 10:30, John 15:7, and Jeremiah 29:11.
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Day 7 Conclusions / Thoughts
Intimacy is representative, to my mind, of that class of interactions that are God-inspired and are - as a result, harder for us to master. Indicative of a subtle form of spiritual attack, when our cultural training basically encourages to eschew mastering the tenets of something - especially something that would help us draw closer to God - it would suggest that perhaps having a culture-independent approach to those tenets. Seriously, people - look at the phrase "closer to God". It SCREAMS intimacy.
So how does our culture suggest we ought to grow closer to one another? Spend time with the same distractions, speaking about highly volatile surface issues but hiding our insecurities and frailties, building emotionally fragile relationships, and trusting the mortality plays of public media consumption (television and/or internet) to dictate how best and most-sanely to resolve conflict.
Because life happens in 22 minute bursts and any friendship and/or fight that cannot be resolved during a commercial break isn't real.
In reality, true intimacy is hard - because it requires letting our guard down, trusting someone to not destroy us, and giving them an actual opportunity to take control of our help - even if only in a specific domain. The same is true for siblings, spouses, offspring, and of our connection with God. He makes it far easier than it could be; but, it still takes effort on our part.
This should make sense - we often do not value that which requires no effort - in fact we often take such things for granted. And being blase/bored with someone, taking them for granted, and not being mindful of who they are and the choices they made to be there with you is one of the easiest ways to destroy a relationship - and to splinter intimacy.
Because, at its heart, intimacy is about actively choosing to create an actual bridge between two souls - always tenuous at best - and yet something we are built to seek and for which we yearn. It is this yearning, I believe, we attempt to fill with addiction, or pain, or control, or whatever. We're hiding from our need for intimacy.
Maybe we don't think we're worthy. Maybe we think we are worthy but not worthy of one particular person's time. Maybe we think we're okay but we are not worthy of a particular opportunity.
However, with God, none of that is true - simply because he willed it so. This is the application of mercy - unmerited favor - we are literally being invited, every moment, to choose again, and again, and again, and again to grow closer to Christ ... that it is still an option .... that we can be encouraged to come BOLDLY before the throne of grace.
Choose intimacy.
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