Nunya !@#$ Business
Sep 19th, 2009 | By The Howitzer | Category: Faith, Lead
By The Howitzer
I had an interesting conversation this week with a really good friend. Let me give you a little backdrop to the conversation: Our church is in a 50-day growth campaign called Draw Near. It is geared to encourage parishioners to spend an extended time period focusing on their own personal spiritual growth. The idea is to attempt to draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Great idea and to be honest I have had a great first 6 days. I did all my assignments, spent some extended time praying and generally felt a connection with the Lord. So why is it that when my friend asked me about how it was going that my gut response was THAT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Now I didn’t say that. What I said was, “oh it’s great, I have done all my stuff and really enjoying it.” But in my heart, I felt a surge of privacy overwhelm me.
I learned some interesting things about myself and maybe some of you guys would relate. Intimacy with God is something that is uncomfortable to talk about. With intimacy comes a certain level of secrecy. There is something in the psyche of a gentleman that doesn’t want to kiss and tell. I am not talking about locker room talk. I have heard many a guy brag about his sexual escapades with a trollop he happened upon. But, rarely do you hear men sitting around sharing about true intimacy with the woman he loves. He doesn’t share that with his buddies. He doesn’t talk about sweet nothings whispered between lovers. THAT’S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS!
Don’t believe me! Next time you see one of your married friends, ask him about his sex life with his wife. Or ask him what’s is the most tender things he has said to her lately. Depending on how close a friend they are you will probably experience the continuum from getting laughed at to getting cursed at. Why is that? Intimacy is something shared between people and it is intended to stay there. In a business setting you might hear someone say, “Nothing spoken in this room is to leave this room.” In a relational setting you might hear someone whisper, “Nothing spoken between our hearts is to be shared outside this room.”
I have always heard that when people say that my faith is a private matter that usually means that they usually don’t have a growing intimacy with the Lord and it is a cover screen to keep you at bay. I think I am beginning to realize that is not always the case. Sometimes an unwillingness to share may actually be a sign that true intimacy exists and that they do not want to cast their pearls before swine. And even if the recipients of the juicy details are honorable compadres there are some things that are intended to stay between you and the Lord.
So next time you see me don’t be surprised that if you ask me how my relationship with God is I say, “Nunya !@#$ Business”.
Photo by FreeWine
Another great post! I wonder this at times with the stuff I write from time to time. Whether it’s notes to my men’s group buddies or posts on facebook or twitter. Does God really want me to share this or was this just for me? Am I doing this to encourage and inspire others about what God is teaching me? Or am I just seeking the favor of men? I’ve been reading some incredible blog posts these past weeks -here and elsewhere. I wonder if the writers often wonder the same thing I wonder when I’m about to publish or hit “send”. Often I’ve prayed with my finger on “delete”, after a few hours spent writing and wrestling, “Lord, if you don’t want me to distribute this, please tell me so and I’ll delete it now.” With no answer, I default to the idea that Satan doesn’t want us sharing our faith. So I hit send instead. But I still wonder. Am I just seeking attention or is this something more?
BTW, this reminds me of aother one of your posts about “chick flics”. I took my wife to the same movie last Friday. Walked in the theater, proceeded to sit between two rows of moms, daughters, and girlfriends, and looked up in the corner and saw the only other dude with his lady. We high fived and celebrated being the only real men of NWA! All the ladies in the theatre applauded. And, I’ll admit it too -J&J was a pretty entertaining show.
Of course, I suspect you already know why this movie reminds me of your present topic. The lead character in the show struggled with her own questions about why she was sharing her thoughts with the world.
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