241/444 Healing from Infidelity: Spiritual Intimacy 1
2012.05.03
Spiritual intimacy is challenging for many couples. Sharing what God is up to in the core of ones soul is sometimes like trying to fork some pudding. It can be tough to put words to what the creator of the universe is doing inside his creation...me!
For Ann and me we've found that 'musts' in this area tend to get in the way. Being intentional is again important but formulas tend not to work in spiritual growth and spiritual intimacy. It is mysterious…
I love this quote by John Templeton,
“No human has yet grasped 1% of what can be known about spiritual realities.”
To paraphrase Chevy Chase, "God is god and you're not." We're all on a need to know basis and most of the time we just don't need to know. God reveals himself through scripture and in general revelation but there is much we just can't get as his creation. And thank, well...him for that. If we could totally get God we wouldn't need to surrender to him and he wouldn't be a very powerful God.
In the midst of all that mystery our relationship with God is the most intimate relationship we have whether we are aware of it or not. It's the coolest part of what I get to do in counseling. I get to be a spiritual voyeur. A man or a woman will be sitting on the green couch in my office. We'll be having a conversation and I'll press in with a question or comment and then it happens. The Holy Spirit moves powerfully in his or her soul and in good ways I'm suddenly being ignored as the sweet love of god overtakes the heart of the broken sojourner in front of me. It's so intimate. So thrilling. It usually comes with salty tears and running snot. It's stunningly beautiful.
All other categories of intimacy with one another are connected to this one. If our spiritual intimacy is lacking in marriage there will be long term damage in all areas. Given that the most intimate relationship is with God, if that isn't present and overflowing into the marriage, there will be a huge chasm between husband and wife.
On the flip side when I have the privilege of experiencing God in Ann's heart, it is heavenly. It's a beauty that far surpasses the glory of the Rocky Mountains. And yet, like the Rocky Mountains, it can be a dangerous place to venture, IF I have an agenda when I go there. If however I approach her soul with the heart of an explorer, a grateful discover who is on an adventure into the wonders of the universe, then I receive the gift of encountering the creator in the soul of his beloved creation. And I'm lead to worship.