Bare

The other day, God told me to get nekkid.

Just kidding. Well, sort of.

I’m doing this book called Enjoy the Silence, which is teaching a Bible study practice called lectio divina. It’s a practice that monks often use, and it’s been a good book so far. I’ve been hearing God more in my quiet times.

The other day the passage was Exodus 3:1-6:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush,
“Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are stand-
ing is holy ground.”

Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (TNIV)

What struck me was verse five, when God tells Moses to take off his sandals. He didn’t want him to have anything manmade on him, nothing crafted by man’s hands, because the ground was holy.

Holy ground required just bare skin. Just himself.

That’s when I really felt naked. God wants me bare before Him. None of the stuff I’ve made for myself, none of the attitudes and accomplishments that make up the things around me. Just me. The girl I really am.

My life is not pretty, but He wants me bare when I come before Him. He really wants to see just me.

This, I think, is true prayer—when I’m completely, utterly, only myself before God. This is when He can speak to me, because both He and I can see me for who I really am.

The next time you pray, be bold. Be bare. Be nekkid.

Just don’t post pictures. ;)

Give me an "N"! *\o/*

What does the word "nurture" mean to you?

Is it covering the basics? I'm fed. I'm warm. I have a roof over my head. There you go, I'm nurtured.

Really? No, not really.


Nurting is going beyond the basics. When someone or something is nurtured, it fosters growth.

One way to nurture yourself is to nurture your dreams. Are you growing your dreams, tending to them, asking God to water them and help them sprout? Nurturing your dreams means that you do two things:



1. You protect your dreams


2. You pursue your dreams


There will be dreambusters every step of the way in your journey. Sometimes that is people who run you down, or tell you that you can't possibly succeed. It may even be someone really important in your life.

It's tough when you want to dream and no one seems to believe in you. But I discovered a long time ago that God believes in me. I was created by him. He breathed life into me, and he knows what my life can look like as I listen to him and follow his leading.


If someone had come to me as a teen and said that I could dream, I wouldn't have believed them. Life was sticky, icky and hard. Today I would love to be able to sit next to my once 15-year-old self and whisper, "dream, baby, dream." I would encourage that young girl to believe in the powerful words found in the Bible, instead of labels stuck on her life like rag-tag post-it notes. Those promises aren't just for the old me--they are for you too.


Another dreambuster is letting relationships in your life that don't line up with your dream. If a guy says he loves you, but asks for anything that could delay or destroy your dream, he's a dreambuster. If he's into you and not into God--dreambuster!


Remember the story of Joseph? A lady tried to mess up his dream and he literally ripped away from her, leaving his nice robe hanging in her hand. He recognized a dreambuster. She still tried to mess up his life and his dreams, but he stayed focused. He knew who to trust with his dreams. He placed them in God's hands.



He showed us that you nurture your dream as you pursue it. Sometimes dreams seem impossible because they are so HUGE!


And yet most dreams are accomplished one step at a time. Like a beautiful mosiac, little things, little acts of courage, little steps of faith, all combine to create the larger picture.

Pursuing your dreams might involve waiting. Most good things take time. You can nurture your dream by growing in strength and character while you wait and take those baby steps, so when it arrives you're ready to assume both the privilege and responsibility.

So, give me an "N"! And begin to nurture his dreams for your life. *\o/*

Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you. . . Jeremiah 1:5a (The Message)

Suzie Eller


Real Teen Faith