Who Says You're Naked?!

I have always wondered why artists love to paint naked human subjects on their naked canvases. There must be something in the human body that they probably consider as mythical or even Harry-Potterish, but since I am not an artist, --- y’see, I can’t even draw a house, for Pete’s sake!!--- I will never get to appreciate the right geometry of the human anatomy. All I know is that it’s quite humiliating to be naked before a bunch of people holding different theories in their open minds, more so if they’re paying too much attention on the concavities and convexities of your asymmetrical body. If I were to flaunt my physical glory before a crowd --- ok, ok, I know this is more of a desperate dream, nyahahahaha!! --- guess which part of my body I will cover? …. Of course my face!! They can see the whole of me but not gossip about it because they wouldn’t know who the subject is, unless of course they’re too intrigued about what they’re seeing --- hiryago again dennie! This is already too much of a coping mechanism, have you taken your tranquilizers yet!! Hahaha --- that revealing my face will ultimately feed their brains’ satiety centres. Well, of course you know I’m just babbling and this is all non-sense, hahahaha. Kidding aside, mankind’s evolutionary development made us realise that nakedness is a humiliation, a taboo, and even a manifestation of some neurological imbalances, but what does being naked truly mean in the eyes of God? Is it a sin to be symbolically naked before God? These things I will humbly endevour to explore to make us realise how beautiful we are in God’s eyes.

The book of Genesis tells us about the Fall of Man, this was after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. When God was looking for Adam in the cool of the day, he answered, “I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked. So I Hid.” Then God replied, “Who told you that you were naked?”… There are two things that I wish to emphasise on both of their responses; first Adam saw his nakedness, he saw the obvious, he saw the limitations whereas God saw the glory of His creation through Adam, and that he was not naked. You see, we are like Adam who thinks that what we see in ourselves is what we really are. I believe that in this life, we need to think mythically…. Oh yes, you read it right, we need to go by the myths of life, these are stories or teachings with or without determinable basis of a fact or a natural explanation BUT need to be construed on a different angle. Most of the time what we see is never quite what they seem, which explains why it takes wisdom to understand the intricacies or myths of life. Some people feel that they are worthless because they are poor and that their lives are not at par with their contemporaries. They dislike themselves for not being able to vanquish their battles, for not being smart, for being unattractive, for being in chains of some habitual sins and bondages, for failing their parents’ expectations, for not being able to perform well with their jobs, for being so obstinate about their principles just to hide their inequities, and the list goes on and on. These things are obvious and can be seen or experienced by one’s self with his/her day-to-day living. These may all be true and agreeably would affect one’s perception about him-/herself, but if you think mythically, what you see is never quite what they seem. We are the children of the Most High God, we were patterned into His likeness and that alone should guarantee us that His favour would always be upon us no matter how bad we’ve become or how bad the circumstances are around us. Where you are now does not determine your future, you may suffer some of the consequences of your wrong decisions but that does not mean that God’s only plan for you is to suffer. Your CHARACTER is the one thing that matters to God, He is not concerned of what you have become but more of WHO YOU ARE and WHOSE YOU ARE. I always say this to my small group at our church; God will not change the circumstances around you because He wants you to have a character, a kind that will truly reflect His identity through you, through us. Just because you have none does not mean you’re naked! God looks at us differently for our identity belongs to Him. We are His children. We were beautifully and wonderfully made by God. We are the apple of His eyes. We are highly favoured. We are loved. Nothing in this world can EVER take us away from God’s love, not even sin, not even our brokenness, not even our bondages. Amazing love!

The next time you feel that you have nothing and worthless, think again. God does not see your limitations; He looks at your heart and your true identity, which of course belongs to Him. You are never an accident in this world for God has purposefully created you to do great things for Him and for yourself. Let’s all be passionate about living, after all we only have one life to live.