Intimacy
So, I've lately I've been paying much more attention to the intimacy quality of my relationship with the Lord. I have God to thank for giving me a wonderful devotional that really brought this to my attention.
It's difficult for men to 'take off the armor' when they have to wear it day in and day out. Intimacy is something so many men struggle with because they are taught to be hard and guarding. We have to guard our hearts and minds, especially against things like lust, greed, lying...all while trying to escape temptation. I didn't realize how stressful it could get and I've cracked at times.
What we don't realize is that doing this...donning our armor for too long, often turns us into escapists. We want to run away from the things that hurt us and bring out the worst in us instead of running to the one who will save us. We start paying way too much attention to the things that really don't matter in our lives. We forget about intimacy with God.
And he has shown me that we can't have good intimacy with our mates and with our friends and with our families if we don't have that with the Lord. That truth...that failure of mine brings me to my knees.
It's because this God, this Man, this Christ...loved us so much that he chose mercy and grace instead of leaving us rotting in our bitterness and fears. He demands much of us, but intimacy is so simple a thing...all we have to do is let go and surrender. And when we let go, and take off our armor in His presence, he blesses us, and loves us...and that is something men in this society find very difficult to 'believe' that they can accept from a Man.
I for one am tired of ignoring this and it was God himself who made me tried trying to ignore it. Praise be to Him.
It's difficult for men to 'take off the armor' when they have to wear it day in and day out. Intimacy is something so many men struggle with because they are taught to be hard and guarding. We have to guard our hearts and minds, especially against things like lust, greed, lying...all while trying to escape temptation. I didn't realize how stressful it could get and I've cracked at times.
What we don't realize is that doing this...donning our armor for too long, often turns us into escapists. We want to run away from the things that hurt us and bring out the worst in us instead of running to the one who will save us. We start paying way too much attention to the things that really don't matter in our lives. We forget about intimacy with God.
And he has shown me that we can't have good intimacy with our mates and with our friends and with our families if we don't have that with the Lord. That truth...that failure of mine brings me to my knees.
It's because this God, this Man, this Christ...loved us so much that he chose mercy and grace instead of leaving us rotting in our bitterness and fears. He demands much of us, but intimacy is so simple a thing...all we have to do is let go and surrender. And when we let go, and take off our armor in His presence, he blesses us, and loves us...and that is something men in this society find very difficult to 'believe' that they can accept from a Man.
I for one am tired of ignoring this and it was God himself who made me tried trying to ignore it. Praise be to Him.