contact@bethanyldouglas.com

Christian Author & Speaker | Mom Life – YouVersion Writer – Helicopter Mom | LIFT! Ministries

Naked Joy

,

Good morning dear ones, wanted to encourage you this morning with some nude words. This is from a post I contributed to Mom-Sense last week but thought you may enjoy it as well.
In short, I want us to be naked with joy, nude in our cleanliness, praising our Savior in nothing but our birthday suits.

I’d been praying over what to share with you for a couple days and God’s answer came to me in the form of two very wet, very naked, little boys last night. Praise God for kids right?

Bath time at our house is an Event. Usually the degree of filth has reached epic proportions before I start noticing that particular ‘boy smell’ (because, yes, I’m THAT mom…) Fortunately my boys love bath time, shower time, pool time, pretty much anything that involves water. So they get thrown in the tub, shower, pool, bucket, whatever nearest H2O-containment system that’s available; add some soap, occasional bleach (just kidding!), aLOT of elbow grease (and/or soaking time- I swear there’s some chemical reaction that occurs between boys skin and all manner of dirt, dust, and grime which takes place making the bearer of such filth virtually impossible to easily or expeditiously clean!!) and viola! momentarily clean children.

They. Love. It.

If your kiddos are anything like mine, those short moments right after a bath are unusually crazy. Our house usually sees two little ones tearing around the place like feral cats, screeching, running, jumping, wrestling, and otherwise completely uninhibited by anything around them. Completely naked. They love the feeling of clean that comes fresh out of the bath- the freedom, the complete lack of inhibition.

My boys have no shame after their washing.

And neither should we.

There’s something to be said for regular washing- there’s more to be said for regular, INTENTIONAL, spiritual cleansing. Our souls and hearts too easily get grimed up by the everyday filth of living on this side of heaven. It’s a thing dear ones. Just like our houses need constant upkeep, so also do our spirituals houses.

Scripture talks over and over about the cleansing nature of holy water- confession, repentance… the Holy Spirit. Psalm 51 is a perfect example, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:2‬ ‭(ESV‬‬). Verse 7, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Dear ones, only God can fully clean all those dark and dirty places in our lives. Sometimes, as in my own kid’s cases, that cleansing needs soaking- it needs time to slough away, because it’s been there awhile. I think we all have areas that need some prolonged Holy Spirit saturation. What are yours?

But what naked, clean JOY comes after such a cleansing! “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:12‬

Confess your filthy areas today dear one and find the fun in being naked, unashamed, and irresistibly joyful before Abba. Uninhibited spiritual nudity, the kind that bears no shame, carries no guilt, and can run and play with the Forgiver of Sins is what must endlessly please God.

It does my momma-heart good to know my children are clean and wrecklessly happy (and I do mean wreck….). I can only imagine it brings the same feeling to our Heavenly Father!

00002 3260601196 removebg preview 1 Bethany L Douglas - Author Mother, Flight nurse

WANT MORE?

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE LATEST POSTS AND GOODIES!

  1. Melissa Schlies Avatar

    The picture of your kids running free and clean is in stark contrast to how so many of us feel in life–but also a great visual for the life Christ offers us!

  2. abigaildubbe Avatar
    abigaildubbe

    Such a perfect example of how we can be before our God- naked & free!!!

  3. Heather Bock Avatar

    I love this! What a beautiful, joyful picture of how we are to be before God after He cleans us, and we ARE clean before God because of Jesus. Thanks!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *