What does it take to be emotionally intimate? Or how does one bond and attach in a relationship? What skills are needed?
No. 1: Presence
Stay present and don’t be distracted or in a hurry.
No. 2: Curiosity
Be curious. You must be interested and willing to explore the thoughts and beliefs of another.
No. 3: Honesty
You must be open and honest. If you’re keeping secrets, hiding old baggage, or pretending to be something you’re not, it won’t work.
No. 4: Vulnerability
Share struggles. You must be willing to admit that life has been hard. And that you’ve been through battles and challenges.
No. 5: Forgiveness
You must have a heart of forgiveness. Everyone carries some secrets, wounds, and disappointments.
No. 6: Commitment
You can’t get to intimacy until you have two committed spouses willing to learn each other and grow.
Intimacy is a spiritual and emotional mission. It is a direct challenge from heaven. Two becoming one is the most difficult and wonderful relationship journey you will ever attempt.
Pray
Father, thank you for the call to oneness. How is it possible for two completely different human beings to function as one? We can only do it with the example of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. I accept the assignment and thank you. Amen.
Bible
And the two shall become one flesh. So, they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Mark 10:8 NIV
Comments
One response to “Emotional Intimacy”
Pride really kicks all of these out. Pride leaves no room for others.
Pride says to Presence: “I have better things to do, better places to be.”
To Curiosity it says: “My thoughts and beliefs are superior; I do not need, nor want, to know what you think.”
To Honesty, Pride mocks: “My story is my own. You don’t need to know it.”
Vulnerability is discarded outright: “I am invulnerable. Or, at least, I must keep up that facçade, so you know how good I am.”
Pride despises Forgiveness: “If you cause me pain, discomfort, or irritation, it is my right to pay you back in kind.”
And when Pride speaks to Commitment, it is only to the Self: “I am totally and completely committed. To my own well-being, joy, and pleasure.”
Looking deeper, I would also argue that Pride is often (not always) a puppet. And FEAR is pulling all the strings.