ToBeSerene and fellow Texan, I've learned the word
"intimacy" means different things to different people, especially between myself and my dry drunk husband.
"Intimacy" to me means sharing my emotions; to my DDH
"intimacy" means sharing physically.
Each of us has five significant parts in our lives. We have the physical, the emotional, the mental, the social, and the spiritual. All five of these parts are designed to work together in harmony. True
"intimacy" includes all the different dimensions of our lives -- yes, the physical, but also the social, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects as well.
"Intimacy" really means total life sharing.
Marshall Hodge wrote a book called
Your Fear of Love. In it he says,
"We long for moments of expressions of love, closeness and tenderness, but frequently, at the critical point, we often draw back. We are afraid of closeness. We are afraid of love." Later in the same book Hodge states,
"The closer you come to somebody, the greater potential there is for pain." It is the fear of pain that often drives us away from finding true intimacy.
Love is more than emotions, and it is much more than a good feeling. But our society has taken what God has said about love, sex and
intimacy and changed it into simply emotions and feelings. God describes love in great detail in the Bible, especially in the Book of First Corinthians, chapter 13. So that you catch the full weight of God's definition of love, let me present verses four through seven (
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - Passage*Lookup - New International Version, ©2010 - BibleGateway.com ) to you this way. How much would it meet your needs
if a person loved you as God says we should be loved:
•if this person responded to you with patience, kindness, and was not envious of you? •if this person was not boastful or prideful? •how about if this person wasn't rude toward you or self-seeking or easily angered? •what if this person didn't keep a record of your wrongs? •how about if they refused to be deceitful, but always were truthful with you? •what if this person protected you, trusted you, always hoped for your good, and persevered through conflicts with you?
This is how God defines the love He wants us to experience in relationships. This is the way to feel true
"intimacy"!
Just my personal opinion, and the Scriptures. Take what you like and leave the rest.
Love and Peace,
Phoenix