I DO! – In-To-Me-See – June 22nd

I DO
June 22, 2021

In-To-Me-See

Psalms 84:9-12, ‘God, Your wrap-around presence is our defense. In Your kindness look upon the faces of Your anointed ones. For just one day of intimacy with You is like a thousand days of joy rolled into one! I’d rather stand at the threshold in front of the Gate Beautiful, ready to go in and worship my God, than to live my life without You in the most beautiful palace of the wicked. For the Lord God is brighter than the brilliance of a sunrise! Wrapping Himself around me like a shield, He is so generous with His gifts of grace and glory. Those who walk along his paths of integrity will never lack one thing they need, for He provides it all! O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what euphoria fills those who forever trust in You!’ (TPT)

Trusting others isn’t easy, especially when we have been plagued by false realities with past relationships. Perhaps we have been untrustworthy ourselves and someone we begin to care for with whom we come in contact might question our reliability and transparency and genuineness. In an ‘I Do’ relationship, it is essential to be confident in their faithfulness, and likewise, our faithfulness in return. But I imagine the percentage of trust in commitments is a tipped scale in the opposite direction.

I heard intimacy referred to by a pastor as ‘In-To-Me-See’ and I thought how perfect. That is exactly what intimacy is all about: allowing another to see everything there is to see inside of you and that person loving you anyway. Similarly, it is being allowed to see inside of that special someone as well and handing out unconditional acceptance. No masks, no shows, transparent and free, no excuses. With every good-bye in our relationships, intimacy becomes increasingly difficult as we question ourselves. I look in mirrors wondering if something is wrong with me, imagining a huge ‘Loser’ neon sign blinking on my forehead. I also build unsurpassable walls between myself and another because of the hurt I experienced before.

Intimacy is a woven fabric that is often torn, unraveled, undone, fraying seams. Sadly, when someone has shared themselves with everyone, there is nothing intimate which remains. Perhaps you grew up in an abusive household or tried every way possible to garner your father’s attention, and when that didn’t happen, you sought male attention and acceptance in every person you encountered, just trying to fill the empty, aching hole inside. Before you comprehended it, everyone knew your name. Now there is nothing left to share with a special someone. The inadequate and trashy feelings can become so overwhelming and predominant, you can’t possibly understand that there is someone who wants to invest in you, who is willing to bury every ditch you ever slept in.

Lastly, we have a niggling habit to kiss and tell, but in your intimate relationships, the less locker room talk the better. We should protect those sacred bonds dearly and honor the intimate secrets he shared when he looked deeply in your eyes.

We are carriers of the most intimate relationship mankind will ever know. Your Father God, your first love, the Lover of your soul, has gone to great extravagant lengths so you would know His name, so you could experience His trustworthiness and commitment to you. He has looked deep inside of you, and He loved all that He saw so much, He paid an incredible price to buy you back. He paid the ransom to the enemy who tried to ruin you, who used you up and tossed you aside, who treated you like a hand-me-down, who took everything you had to give and made a mockery out of it. Your Father is so in love with you and waits patiently for your companionship, and everything that has been torn and broken, He is in the renovation business to restore. He will whisper sweet nothings in your ear and gaze long and deep into your eyes while He woos you into His faithfulness. And what He speaks into you is intimately just for you because there is only one ‘you’, the ‘you’ He created for His perfect purpose and good pleasure. He will paint a masterpiece at sunrise for you and He will perform a sonnet for you at sunset. And what’s best, He will never want you to let Him go…and He will never ever—EVER—leave.

What a promise ‘I Do’ is! Whether we are committing to a person
or simply being intentional in life, our word should be a cherished commodity.
This month, journey with me in ‘I Do’ moments which are an oath, a vow, a pact,
a pledge, an honorarium.