Can You Love Me Naked: A Journey Through Rawness, Forgiveness, and God's Unfailing Love
- xwithlovet25
- Oct 7
- 5 min read
There's a song that has been sitting heavy on my heart. Ella Mai asks, "Can you love me naked?"
At first, I thought it was a question for someone else–– the partner I pray for, the one who will see through walls and still choose me. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized this question is bigger. It's about me. It's about my relationship with myself. And ultimately, it's about God.
Because before I can ask someone else to love me naked, I have to ask:
Can I love myself naked?
Can I believe that God's love is already enough?
Naked Before God
"Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. –– Genesis 2:25
That's how God created us to be–– uncovered, unashamed fully known, and fully loved. But somewhere along the way, shame crept in. Just like Adam and Eve, I've tired to cover myself with fig leaves of perfection, self-protection, and silence.
And in the quiet of my journal, I asked questions that feel too heavy to say out loud:
Why do I talk myself out of seeing miracles?
Why does my confidence get attacked?
Why are all the areas of my life being attacked?
When I write those words, I feel the weight of them pressing on me. Yet even here, God whispers:
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from my sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)
And still–– He still love me.
That is the beginning of nakedness: realizing He already sees it all, and He hasn't walked away.
Naked With Myself
"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." –– Psalm 139:14
When I say "naked," I don't just mean the body–– I mean the spirit, the soul, the mind. The parts of me that can't hide behind filters or smiles. The me that wrestles with thoughts, emotions, and old wounds I'd rather keep covered.
It's one thing to ask someone else, Can you love me naked? It's another to look in the mirror and whisper, Can I love myself that way?
Because truth is... sometimes I don't. Sometimes I want to go back into my shell, where it's quiet and safe. Sometimes I call it peace, but really, it's avoidance. And in those moments, I start asking myself questions I don't always want to answer:
Am I being stubborn when I don't want to bother others with my struggles?
Am I depressed? Am I fighting it, or am I surrendering it to God?
The truth is, I forgive others easily, but when it comes to me, I'm hard on myself. I replay mistakes, rehearse shame, and hold myself hostage to the things God has already released. Yet His word reminds me:
"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" ––Psalm 103:12
If God Himself has forgiven me, why do I keep chaining myself to guilt He already broke? Why is grace something I can give freely to others but struggle to bring home my own heart?
Maybe loving myself naked means learning to see myself through His eyes––not the eyes of my past, my pain, or my perfectionism.
Maybe it means believing His Word over my inner critic — because sometimes, the inner me can feel like the enemy.
Those old patterns and thoughts, shaped by wounds and fear, can quietly stand in the way of peace.
Sometimes the battle isn’t between me and the world — it’s me versus me. It’s not that I am the enemy; it’s that the unhealed, fearful, or self-condemning parts of me can act like one.
That’s why I have to keep speaking life where shame wants silence.
Letting His forgiveness become the one I finally accept for myself.
Maybe loving myself naked means saying,“God, I’ll trust Your Word over my thoughts.
I’ll let Your forgiveness and love cover me until I finally believe it too.”
Naked In Love
Yes, I want someone to see my walls and not walk away. To push past my flaws and still stay. But love can't just be something I'm waiting on. It has to be something I embody. I can't just wait to receive love, I need to live it, breathe it, and reflect it in how I move through life.
Paul wrote, "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ..."–– 1 Cor. 13:7-8
And then there's me, scribbling raw across the page:
If I don't forgive myself, will God forgive me? Is it okay to be grateful and still unhappy? Why do I keep hearing, "You're not enough?"
Those words burn. They sound like chains. But God breaks through:
"There's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" ––Romans 8:1
"My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness" ––2 Cor. 12:9
Being naked in love isn't just about romance. It's about standing before God, saying:
"Here I am, Lord. Messy, flawed, unsure, but Yours."
Because real love isn’t a feeling you chase; it’s a truth you choose. It’s showing up for yourself when you’d rather hide. It’s giving grace when guilt tries to take the microphone. It’s learning that God’s love doesn’t shrink when you stumble— it stretches wider to cover you.
So maybe being naked in love means letting Him teach me how to love without fear —to love Him first, to love others, and to love the me He created, scars and all.
Naked Truth
So when I ask, "Can you love me naked?"... I realized the first answer has to be mine.
Because yes, I'm still healing. Yes, some days I'm thankful and sad at the same time. Yes, I wrestle with questions that don't have easy answers. But God isn't waiting for me to have it all figured out before He calls me His.
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins" –– 1 Peter 4:8
That love includes others, but it also includes me.
And here's the thing: love isn't proven in perfect moments. It's proven in raw ones–– the nights I cry, the prayers I can't finish, the questions I can't answer. And yet in those same spaces, God leans in and says:
"You are Mine." ––Isaiah 43:1
"You are enough." ––Colossians 2:10
"You are loved." ––Romans 5:8
Maybe that’s the truth I’ve been searching for all along— that love doesn’t wait for perfection. It meets me in my process. It holds me when I fall. It reminds me that even here, I’m seen and chosen.
So maybe I don't need to wait on anyone else to answer the question. Maybe the truth is this: He already loves me naked.
A Reminder to Come Back to Love
If you made it this far, this is yours––and mine–– our reminder. If we forget everything else, remember this: always come back to love.
When shame says, "You're not enough," come back to love.
When your confidence feels shaky, come back to love.
When forgiveness feels impossible, come back to love.
When gratitude and grief sit in the same breath, come back to love.
Because God is love (1 John 4:8). Real love. Patient love. Healing love. The kind of love that holds you uncovered, unashamed, and still His.
So next time I whisper, "Can you love me naked? I'll already know the answer:
Yes. Because Love Himself already does.
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