What people do not talk about, can be considered personal:

• How much money a person makes
• How much a person pays in taxes
• How much a person gives to charity
• Who a person votes for
• Medical history and records
• Moments of spousal intimacy

Some areas of life consider full-disclosure as acceptable.  A person running for President may be asked to disclose how much they made last year and what they paid in taxes.

Other people perhaps should be able to have as much privacy as anyone, and they take measures to help assure that ...but, by the nature of their business, it is at times not likely and they just have to adjust and accept it.  Celebrities make there living being popular in the public eye, and the public eye seems to be constantly on them.

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Some things people don't disclose because they are illegal:

• How a person cheated on their taxes
• Skimming off the company or government budget
• Any crime of stealing
• Selling street drugs
• Driving over the speed limit, without a license etc.
• Owning a pit-bull in many neighborhoods, stating it is different breed

It is clear why people would want to be secretive about these things.

So, there are many different reasons why people would want things to be personal ...and how they define it.

The youth may view 'kiss-and-tell' as bragging rights ...but, married couples usually maintain that most of their true intimacy is personal and not to be talked about.

If the youth feels they've been slighted, embarrassed, or rejected ...they may emotional defend their pride and mildly retaliate with comments about the other person's character.  I don't know how many would agree with me, but in a marriage I feel disagreements or arguments should also be a part of intimacy.  I feel that type of intimacy should be minimized, but there should be a trust built in ...where a person feels they need to vent their emotions, and can feel safe that those embarrassing moments are not exposed for other to gossip about.  And healing can take place, trusting and knowing that it is something between the two of you.

At this time, I'd like to mention another Person ...the Person of God.  We see the necessity to accept Jesus as our personal Savior, but that is not supposed to be a secretive type of personal.  Nor is it supposed to be the type of intimacy that we don't share with others. But, sadly, we often view it one of these two ways.

I hear: "My faith is personal ...it's between me and God, and I don't talk about it!"

I also hear: "I have my own personal walk with God, and it may differ from the personal walk you have."

I attended the 50th wedding anniversary of an Aunt & Uncle of mine.  The children (my cousins) took turns standing up, and lovingly telling about special moments they'd shared.  And the stories seemed to all involve each other, all the children.  It was a very touching moment.

I've heard of funerals where certain children secretively felt they were getting the bulk of the inheritance, thinking they were favored over all the other children.

With God, we can all experience the favor of His love ...together. It's like the Anniversary, not the funeral.

In prayer, we can talk to God without interruption, nor do we have to fear He is not listening.  We should have the most cherished and personal relationship with Him ...yet, it is actually not just between ourselves and Him, in another sense.  God placed us here with other people ...and there will be challenges, struggles, and conflict.  Yet, Jesus also came here on earth ...to help walk us through those very things.

Is the answer too obvious ...to a question that asks if we are to strive to have a closer relationship with God, to grow, and mature??

There's always that statement directed at those who others feel are legalistic, or self-righteous.  And that could be true, or it could be false ...depending upon the motivation and character of both the person it is being said about, and the person saying it.

I believe that a person cannot lose their salvation.

I believe we each have our strong moments, and our weak moments ...and sometimes it's our strength we are struggling with, not relying on the truth about God.

Yet, most of us understand forgiveness.

So,  if we don't look to others to live by our standards ...and we just try to improve our lives, then that is not legalistic to me.

And in view of all of what we've said, it appears we have taken bits and pieces to put together our own comfort zone.  In doing so, it appears we have drifted away from what God would want us to realize in our lives ...and become way too much like the world around us.

I know the saying, "Don't be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good."

But, I don't think we should focus so much on ministering to people's feelings that we truly glorify God less and less.

Glorifying God is to correctly speak of God for who He is ...and what He has said to us, and what He wants us to stand for.