NAKED

   There is a saying that a true friend is one who sees you naked and still desires to be with you. Hope you don’t mind me asking, but can I be NAKED with you? Oh please, don’t entertain a thought of “perversity” towards me. By the term NAKED, I literally don’t mean the stripping off of our woolen garments and exposing all our curves and contours, bruises and scars, biceps and triceps, stretch marks and birth marks and other bodily endowments that others might or might not be interested in. I just mean can I be real!!! - it’s not an assessment of physical nudity but a perception of inner/emotional nakedness. 

    The prompt of my question is not on the propensity of my willingness to be overt and transparent, but on the instrumentality of your” judgmental”. We all don’t want to be misjudged, misinterpreted or misunderstood, and the fear of this dangerous conception, initiates a tendency for people to hide themselves in activities and frivolities that would not expose the sensitivity of their true self, disguising in heavy make-ups, designer clothing, cutting-edge fashion trends, working so hard (even for God but not with God), acquiring the state-of-the-art accessory, attaining awards/honors, taking and uploading snapshots (selfies), having numerous “friends”, “likes” or even “followers” – (some of which is) just to create a perception to people that is far from the truth. We unconsciously build a wall around ourselves shielding everyone including ourselves from our own deep waters.
Come on!!! Don’t leave me here all by myself. If you will attempt to be a little bit naked with me, you’ll admit that you’re also looking for that person that you can be naked with. Whether it’s with a friend, sibling, mother, father, pastor, spouse or even a religion etc. we’ll have a desire to be NAKED with that person who will not misjudge us by our imperfections or take advantage of our beauty and elude after such an exposure; but someone who will love, nurture and appreciate us for who we really are and not what we are. Someone who will not just misjudge us by what we are going through, but rightfully, lead us to where we are going to. Someone who will look at our nakedness and see the beauty in our imperfections.
Even our patriarch, Noah, was misjudged by one of his sons for his “nakedness”. But thank God for his other two sons, who chose to honor their father's nakedness, and I believe you know the rest of the story (Gen 9:21-28).
Nonetheless, I’m not really emphasizing on a “careless nakedness” like that of Noah with his sons or Samson with Delilah – who was physically and emotionally naked to her, but a “constructive nakedness” like that of Absalom with David and Peter with Jesus, Jesus with His disciples etc.The bible records in 1sam 18:4, of how Absalom stripped himself naked before David and bestowed unto him his bodily garments and weapons – which is a sign of mutual understanding and transparency. It was an outward expression of an inward commitment (and I believe we should be cognizant with the impact of their relationship).
In John 21:1-12, after Jesus had died on the cross, Peter, not really knowing what to do, went back to his weakness - to fish for fish, rather than for men which Christ had called him to. The bible records that he and the other disciples toiled all night and caught nothing. Peter noticing Jesus at the shore and being naked, ran towards him because he knew his hope has been rekindled.
Jesus is always our perfect example. In John 13:4-12, when he wanted to wash the disciples feet, he laid aside his garments, girded a towel and washed the disciples feet. He also encouraged them to do so for one another. More also, when he died on the cross for you and I, he hung there NAKED.
Now this scenario really puzzles me. When God created man, he made them male and female; they were both NAKED in the garden and they were not "ashamed" Gen 1:25. Not until they ate the forbidden fruit, then they realized they were both naked (Gen 3:17) and hid themselves, even from the Lord. In Gen 3:21, God made them clothes of skin and clothed them.
What really happened, what changed? Think of this, if God wanted them with clothes he would have done so from the beginning. But sin had entered, they now see things differently - misjudging and misinterpreting themselves because an error has been initiated, an error that revolutionized the entire human race and changed how we perceive each other.
(CAUTION: if you think I'm still referring to physical nudity, maybe you should try starting from the beginning.)
I'm not saying we should get physically naked, no, far from it. I'm talking about inner/emotional constructive nakedness. It's not good for a man or woman to be alone. I believe every human needs someone or people that he/she can be inwardly/emotionally naked with.
Some might be asking, how can I find that person? It's just like testing the waters, you don't put your two feet at the same time. You put one foot, and when you feel it's good enough, you put in your second foot, you take it one foot at a time - you don't check the depth of a river with your two feet, that would be dumb. Also, don't allow people to make withdrawals from you when they are not making deposits. The relationship has to be reciprocal. It's considered bank fraud when someone goes to the bank and try's to withdraw more than he/she has deposited. So, be careful not to let that happen to you.
Also, stop complaining that there are hardly any real people around, start being real yourself!!! And rather than waiting to be loved or remembered, why can't you just start by loving and remembering others. What a blessing our lives will be if we can all initiate this.
Most graciously, I want to thank everyone who has seen my nakedness and still chose to honor it. I love you with all my heart and I pledge to honor yours as well.
With Love.
                                                                                                                      -DUBEM OKAFOR