These figures which house our spirits are incredible and so inspiring. For religious and personal reasons, I have chosen to wait until marriage to be physically intimate with a man because I believe that physical intimacy with another human being allows us to become connected at a level which is intended to be deep and pure. However, just as we long to be connected sexually and intimately with another, I truly believe that we all crave a connection with others that allows us to be "naked" in front of them (without being sexual). We crave the relationships that break down our walls, that build us up, and inspire us to become all that we can be. The problem is this: we become comfortable hiding behind these boundaries. Behind them we are isolated-- no one can hurt us and by the same token, no one can help us. The older I get the more I realize that in order to accept and love those around us, we have to accept and love our vulnerable, deep, and naked souls.
We are so willing to share our lives through social media. We talk about what we ate or what we wear but, are we willing to expose what is beneath the layers of clothing? When will we be comfortable in our own skin? When will we be able to be truly naked in front of others?
These words from the article resonate within me:
"I am cautious, at times, in my sharing of myself, but I am not afraid to be naked. I have no fear of the depths, but the idea of an unexamined, inauthentic life spent in the shallows horrifies me. We have a built-in need to be known: not for our favorite movies or baseball teams, but our hopes, our dreams and our innermost selves."
More on being connected: