by Amy Rasmussen (copyright, 2009)
One summer night, when I was twelve, I began questioning what the Bible says about nakedness. The question hit me in the shower. As water sprayed my tomboyish legs, I realized that I felt zero shame. A lifetime of Sunday school classes had cultivated an awareness of what happened to Adam and Eve upon the discovery of their nakedness after eating the forbidden fruit. I did not know what to think about that when, honestly, being naked in the shower felt great. Toweling off, I glanced in the mirror. Still no shame! Could the Bible be wrong? It seemed unwise to make a hasty decision about the matter, and so I decided to do some testing.
Dropping the towel, I stepped through the doorway of my younger sister’s bedroom: “Come on, we’re going skinny dipping!”
As usual, Heather did not question what I said we should do. She expressed no concern that my ideas sometimes resulted in pain or getting in trouble. Earlier in childhood, I had convinced her to jump off a shed with me while holding onto an umbrella. Not surprisingly, the experience had taught us important lessons about fiction and gravity!
I’m not sure where our parents had gone that night, maybe the store or Bible study. For the most part, I was a responsible kid, and that enabled leeway for some creative experiments when they left me in charge. Stepping across the veranda of the house, Heather and I moved toward the irrigation ditch that ran adjacent to the gravel lane, leading past three horses and a goat, toward the house. Inhaling the soft, warm air, my mouth widened into a smile—Walking around naked was fun!
Heather knew as well as I did what the Bible said about nakedness. And she did not appear to be having any troubles. In the water, we marveled at the stars, letting the current carry us gracefully through a moonlit corridor bordered by grass and trees. As the water brushed my skin, I wondered how something so great could be shameful. Skinny dipping was fun!
Reaching a place where weeping willow branches hung, like leafy ropes from heaven, we suspended ourselves over the water, spinning like tops. A light suddenly flashed, illuminating the water and us swinging in the branches. We screamed, groping for willow leaves to hide us from the elderly man squinting in our direction. Mr. O., our retired neighbor, did not look amused. Tripping over each other, we scampered out of the ditch. Skinny dipping no longer seemed fun! Self-consciously, we leaped across the lawn, onto the veranda, through the front door of the house. Breathing hard, embarrassment engulfed me. Heather’s expression mirrored my shame. And for the first time, I wondered if God’s Word might actually have something important to say.
Funny story! Love your writing!