Why Can I Be Vulnerable?

Sometimes I feel brave, ready to engage with people, to serve others, to take risks, to try new things, to speak up.

But sometimes I feel tired of being brave.  I feel hurt from trying, and I want to curl up in a fetal position in a dark room and tell everyone to go away.

Sometimes I would rather hide the light.  Not trying is safe, because it’s impossible to fail.

Sometimes I don’t want to be vulnerable.

For us as Christians, what is the why behind our vulnerability?  Here are some thoughts I’ve been working through.

I can be vulnerable …

• … because I am always loved by God.

• … because I can trust I will only be hurt if God allows it, and if He allows hurt, He is going to work it into my story for my ultimate good.

• … because I know I can meet God in the hurt, experience His presence in a deeper way, and trust Him to be near me when I am brokenhearted and to bind up my wounds.

• … because life is short and I would rather spend it shining bright than hiding under a bushel.

• … because I want to grow and learn beyond where I am today.  I know pain can be a platform where I can see where I may have gone wrong and how I should live and think differently.

• … because I no longer need others’ approval, or look to them to fill my gaps.  I am approved of in Christ.  As Tim Keller would say in The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, my ego is not in the courtroom anymore, waiting to hear someone else’s (or even my own) verdict.  I am declared righteous and Christ is making me more like Himself.

• … because I want to operate from the perspective of abundance (“I have more to give”) instead of from scarcity (“hunker down and keep what I have left”).  I’m connected to a God who gives me ample supply of what I need and calls me to live abundantly.

• … because to live is Christ and to die is gain—I can reframe my circumstances to become a win-win situation.

For me, being vulnerable means (among other things) keeping on blogging, reaching out to friends and family, and being willing to foster again in the future.

What does it mean to you?  Moving to a new town?  Going on a date?  Initiating a conversation?  Leading a Bible study?

What would you add to my ideas?  Why can you be vulnerable?