Now there's a catchy title. Allow me to explain.
Last night I had a dream that I was getting ready to lead worship but I wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.
Usually I have this kind of dream when I feel unprepared for something (a baseball game without my uniform, reciting lines for a play that I have never heard of, playing a song that I have never practiced, etc.), but this time there was a different twist. I remember recalling quite specifically in my dream that it wasn't I who was in the wrong, but rather people who were wearing clothes. I was being natural (perhaps even naturale) and they were the ones who were being unnatural.
In my dream I recalled Adam and Eve who were created to be naked and it was only after they sinned that they felt the need to cover their nakedness. They were ashamed only in their sinful nature--only when they were trying to hide something about themselves. As of Genesis 2:25 they were naked and without shame but come Genesis 3:7 they are trying to cover themselves up!
And that's when a strange irony hit me: why do we put on our "Sunday best" when we go to church? Not only do we wear clothes but we go out of our way to put on extra-nice clothes, accessories, and perfumes, to mask our natural state. By the time we show up for the most vulnerable part of the week, we are wearing such a facade that our true nature can't be seen.
Pornography's greatest contributor is clothing. Why? Because clothing helps us conceal the deep dark secrets we bury deep within. We hide our nature from anyone else seeing us. Sin loves darkness. Sin loves to be concealed. Sin hates to be seen, so we hide it and cover ourselves. If each of us was completely transparent with one another as to what is going on in our lives and we revealed sin for what it truly is and where it sits in our lives, then sinful addictions and billion dollar industries like pornography wouldn't have a chance to thrive. They might still exist, but there wouldn't be nearly the conflagration of pain that would accompany it.
So in a very strange way, I exhort to you: take off your clothes. Remove those coverings of shame and regret and let people see you the way God sees you. Don't be afraid to shed light to sin and confess openly with one another. And ESPECIALLY don't put on extra clothes when you are headed to the House of God.
And also....make sure you pick up on the metaphoric language and don't actually run around nude. That would be rude. Just get naked morally.
There, that wasn't weird at all.
Last night I had a dream that I was getting ready to lead worship but I wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.
Usually I have this kind of dream when I feel unprepared for something (a baseball game without my uniform, reciting lines for a play that I have never heard of, playing a song that I have never practiced, etc.), but this time there was a different twist. I remember recalling quite specifically in my dream that it wasn't I who was in the wrong, but rather people who were wearing clothes. I was being natural (perhaps even naturale) and they were the ones who were being unnatural.
And that's when a strange irony hit me: why do we put on our "Sunday best" when we go to church? Not only do we wear clothes but we go out of our way to put on extra-nice clothes, accessories, and perfumes, to mask our natural state. By the time we show up for the most vulnerable part of the week, we are wearing such a facade that our true nature can't be seen.
Pornography's greatest contributor is clothing. Why? Because clothing helps us conceal the deep dark secrets we bury deep within. We hide our nature from anyone else seeing us. Sin loves darkness. Sin loves to be concealed. Sin hates to be seen, so we hide it and cover ourselves. If each of us was completely transparent with one another as to what is going on in our lives and we revealed sin for what it truly is and where it sits in our lives, then sinful addictions and billion dollar industries like pornography wouldn't have a chance to thrive. They might still exist, but there wouldn't be nearly the conflagration of pain that would accompany it.
So in a very strange way, I exhort to you: take off your clothes. Remove those coverings of shame and regret and let people see you the way God sees you. Don't be afraid to shed light to sin and confess openly with one another. And ESPECIALLY don't put on extra clothes when you are headed to the House of God.
And also....make sure you pick up on the metaphoric language and don't actually run around nude. That would be rude. Just get naked morally.
There, that wasn't weird at all.
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