oh the joy of vulnerability
as hard as it may be to convey a tone in writing,
I am hoping that you can pick up on my sarcastic tone in that statement.
Joy - a feeling of great
pleasure and happiness
Vulnerability (or vulnerable) - susceptible to physical or emotional
attack or harm
A feeling of great
pleasure and happiness of being susceptible to physical or emotional attack or
harm.
Now are you picking
up my sarcasm? Those two just don't go together. At least not in a great pleasurable and
happy way.
Have you ever
opened up about something, poured our your heart, feelings, thoughts, and
emotions only to be met with indifference. Or the cold, hard sting of the
words, actions, or feelings you hoped for to never come your way.
To come to that
place where you are susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm?
That place where you want to shut off, close down, and never even dream of
tip-toeing around that word, vulnerability?
You have? Me too.
Lately I have
learned there is however a lot of learning, growing, and character development
in vulnerability.
As a quiet,
calm (I laugh even typing
those two words to describe myself) woman with a strong
spirit, vulnerability might as well be a four letter word that
catches you off guard when you hear it from somebody else, or a pile of dirty
laundry you know exists but avoid it at all
costs.
I don't think it's
harder for women than men to be vulnerable, I believe it is an across the board
issue.
However, doing some
thinking, reading, praying, and researching and actually
putting myself in those situations where I've had to be.... vulnerable has really made me think
about how things would be different in my relationships, my ministry, or my
discipleship groups if I was more vulnerable.
There is something
about being vulnerable that makes you flip. Once you open that bag of
vulnerability the fear of man instantaneously flies in. Happened to
me, just last night. I won't go into detail about what, why, or who with, but I
will say that I had to come to a point where I had to calm it down and try to
see the positive side of my vulnerability. Which in turn is
why I am writing this post.
Reading around,
I found this quote about that which we avoid, vulnerability from a man named Patrick
Lencioni, A man I have never heard of or know anything about. Yet a man who has
a good way of seeing how vulnerability is a good thing which is what I am
looking for.
"Vulnerability.
It is one of the most undervalued and misunderstood of all human
qualities. Without the willingness to be vulnerable, we will not build deep
and lasting relationships in life. That's because there is no better way
to earn a person's trust than by putting ourselves in a position of
unprotected weakness."
I can't help but
read that and think of vulnerability and think of Jesus. A man who didn't
pretend, wasn't prideful, boastful, but
was real. He was an
easy to connect with, easy to follow, easy to love, easy to want to be like
kind of man. A man who gave us the greatest most amazing things he could, all
by being vulnerable.
That alone takes
the sting out of vulnerability.
How deep and real
were Jesus' relationships, ministry, and discipleship?
I don't know about
you, but if having relationships, ministry, and discipleship like Jesus means
being a little more vulnerable, i'm
in.
I don't know what
that vulnerability looks like in your life. You're probably thinking
now you don't know what
happened to me the last time I was vulnerable. How stupid it made me feel, how
others looked at me... you don't know. Friend
you are correct but I can be vulnerable with you and tell you I've been there.
I've kept feelings in and when I opened up about them it was a little too late.
I've had to swallow my pride and admit I was wrong. I've had to sit down with a
friend who is hurting and broken by something I am all too familiar with and
open an old wound so I could meet her where she is all by saying, "you'e
not alone, me too..."
So I don't know
what being vulnerable will look like or has looked like in the past for you,
but if I can encourage you to give it another try and to help take the sting
out of it for you, then that is a start.
I am by all means not saying please air your dirtiest,
darkest secrets on social media, or at any other inappropriate times or ways. I am saying that it
is okay to be attentive to a
moment you need to open up about feelings, or swallow your pride and admit
something, and be brave and follow through.
I am saying that it
is okay to come to a place where you can say "oh the joy of vulnerability"
and mean it; and
knowing if having relationships, ministry, and
discipleship like Jesus means being a little more vulnerable, you too can say
"i'm in."
"God asks us
to be this vulnerable all the time – with Him and with others – if we want true
joy."
![photo cba34c8e682e388b12ffd4f8fef70fc1_zpsc91d6009.jpg](http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a533/reedbn91/cba34c8e682e388b12ffd4f8fef70fc1_zpsc91d6009.jpg)
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