Embracing Intimacy

Intimacy is an odd thing, I'm finding. Maybe more than odd, its mysterious. It is the end of which all of humanity is seeking. It, in its fullest sense, is the perfect communion- most complete picture of community, and the rejection of individualism and loneliness. When we work towards peace, the peace that is shalom, we enter into perfect intimacy with each other, with God, and with creation. We are made whole beings when we are intimate with each other, God, and earth. And when we achieve intimacy we recognize ourselves in other, and other in ourselves in a holy co-dependence.

What is so frustrating about embracing and working towards intimacy, is how much it requires the freeing and liberating of another person from our own grasp. It is more often the ability to let go of what is beautiful than the ability to grab hold. It is in perfect love that we allow others to flourish, and it is in perfect love that we enable that which is beautiful to be given to all of creation. It is allowing all that is living to join in a holy dance, and then to allow yourself to join that dance also.

The tendency for all of us, when we experience something beautiful, is to force an intimacy that is entirely self serving. Instead of allowing the entire world to also experience something beautiful, we become greedy and take a private ownership over that beautiful thing. This happens in our relationship to economics, the earth, God, and each other. We recognize the value of resources and so we fight for ownership, we recognize the value of land and we exploit it. We recognize the value of our own picture of God, and we force all into our own understanding. And when we feel the desire to have all of one persons being, we destroy the relationship.

Yet there is a sweet liberating freedom when we recognize that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. When we recognize that we are not in control, then the world becomes open to us. It enables our eyes to see not only our interconnected relationship to humanity, but also to God and God's creation. There is a sweet freedom both for ourselves and for others when we experience intimacy and closeness. When we allow others to simply be, we allow ourselves to begin to experience love, beauty, and peace. And in the irony of letting go we can encounter each other and love equally and perfectly.