In the beginning God...

Every January 1st I start reading my bible from cover to cover.  I love those first words...In the beginning God.  We all love new beginnings, fresh starts, do-overs.  January 1st seems to do that for us.  Sometimes a Monday will do that for us.  Sometimes it's just a matter of waking up to a new day to feel like a fresh start is on the way.

In any case, I started out reading my bible yesterday with the intent of hearing from the Lord instead of just reading.  He tells us over and over that if we will seek Him with our whole heart we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  He never fails!  Yesterday was no different.

I read Genesis chapters one and two according to my "Read Through the Bible in a Year" plan.  You know how it goes...God created the heaven and the earth, He created man and woman and on the seventh day He rested.  I really love the rested part.

But what really spoke to me was the very end of chapter two.  Genesis 2:25 says,  "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed".    Adam and Eve were completely exposed, completely vulnerable to one another and were not ashamed.  That's how we're supposed to be.  We should never feel shame before our spouse.  Not when we're exposed physically, emotionally or spiritually.  Our spouse (and God) is the one person we should feel completely safe with.  They're also the one person that we should share our vulnerabilities with.  Girlfriends are great.  But it should be our husbands that we share our deepest, most intimate selves with.

I think this story shows us that we are not to try to hide things from our spouse.  We should strive to have a pure and wholesome relationship with the one God has given us.  We should feel free to express our feelings, share our doubts and fears without judgement, without shame.

As I progress through the new year, I will keep this thought with me.  I will treasure my husband more, be less judgmental of him and be more willing to share those vulnerable parts of myself with him.  After all,
I believe God created him for me and me for him.  Just as he created Adam and Eve for one another.