Being Needy

Needy.

None of is want to be seen as needy.

We look down on others when they come across as needy.

And, while I agree that being needy can become manipulative or dangerous, I think we miss out on something important when we do everything we can to avoid even the appearance of being needy.

What we miss, is intimacy - with others and with God.

Because we've equated intimacy with a sexual relationship, we miss out on what it actually is and why it's actually vital to our lives.

I want to touch briefly on the topic of intimacy with other and how being needy sometimes is part of that, briefly, before I move onto intimacy with God.

Think about your close friendships right now. If they have a depth, an intimacy to them, then that probably developed from both of you being willing to be needy with each other at one point or another. You chose to let the other into a hard time or a struggle. You shared what others don't usually see. And you allowed the other to respond with care, with love, with help, with support.

In intimate friendship with others, you risk being exposed so you can stop hiding. You risk being hurt, so you can ask for help when it's too much on your own. It's not easy, but it's necessary.

But, there's an area where I think we struggle with being needy even more and as a result we miss out on intimacy there too. It's in our relationship with God.

Oh, we know all the right things to say. We talk about it. But, we don't practice it very well.

I read something in a Bible study I was working through recently that challenged me on this idea. Jennie Allen writes:

"If the goal of our lives is intimacy with Jesus, then the pathway to that intimacy is vulnerably needing Him - bringing Him to things we most want to hide from Him." (Proven, pg. 134)

If we're going to pursue intimacy with God, then we have to be willing to be needy with Him. Instead of trying to prove that we have it all together and are good enough for Him, Jesus invites us to fully admit our need to Him. Being honest about everything we would rather hide, everything we're afraid of having exposed. It's when we do this, that we are able to begin to live in the intimacy with Jesus we all say we desire.

Are you willing to be vulnerably needy with Jesus?

Are you willing to have it all exposed for the intimacy that comes?