My kids love to watch Superbook, a Bible-based animation. In this animation, the main characters (2 children and a robot) always get transported into the past and they experience the lived lives of Bible characters and they also learn important lessons. The video on “In the beginning” shows Adam and Eve walking about in the Garden with no clothes on. The robot couldn’t deal with it and had to program itself by putting on imaginary dresses on the couple. As funny as this sound, Adam and Eve had their period of nakedness while in the Garden of Eden. They were literally naked and yet, they were not ashamed. The principle of nakedness is very important in marriage. Nakedness here means transparency and openness. The fact that the couple were not ashamed of their nakedness meant that God didn’t create them to be ashamed of it. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:25) We should be careful not to equate this nakedness presently to going about without clothes. In fact, if any couple should make that attempt, I am sure they will be assigned psychiatric doctors. Adam and Eve’s nakedness was before the fall of man. They lived in perfect condition and the glory of God encapsulated them. They were living a life without sin. Nothing was hidden. They were aware of themselves and what they had. Transparency in marriage should include making our lives very open to our spouses. No human should know our deepest thoughts and feelings than our spouses. It includes sharing our bodies (sexually) and enjoying deep intimacy together. It also includes financial transparency: we should not hide our money from one another. These days, even technological transparency is important. We should not put unnecessary codes and passwords on our phones without sharing them with our spouses. Afterall, if you have nothing to hide, you should be comfortable giving your spouse access to your phone. Our understanding that marriage presents the highest form of transparency among human relationships should urge us to be transparent with our spouses. It is not a one-way affair: “Adam and Eve were both naked, and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25). As soon as we start feeling the need to hide our dealings with our spouses, we should know that transparency is broken. We shouldn’t be shy to discuss our deepest thoughts and feelings together. Family and business goals should be shared together. Couples should be transparent enough to even discuss their sexual concerns so that they can be satisfied. The reason most couples refuse to be transparent to one another is as a result of trust issues. Many marriages have become susceptible to “leaked information” because one partner got tired of the marriage and decided to let the whole world know of their partner’s weakness. When we begin our marriage based on God’s principles, we avoid some of these challenges. However, it is never too late to go back to the basics. Genesis is the best place to start out. God designed marriage and His manual is the manufacturer’s guide for marriage. I recommend our books on marriage, choosing a marriage partner and humility for you. Until we are humble enough to accept God’s plan for our marriages, we will be running a different course. Remember, Adam and Eve were naked but yet, they were not ashamed.
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