Vulnerable

 "But encourage one another daily"

 Accessible and Tender

One of the downsides of living in such an image driven society is that as women, we tend to get out of the habit of everyday vulnerability.  We forget that our deepest needs are gifts and we can find ourselves moving through each day less and less vulnerable.

This is not a good way to live.

The poor habits of not living with vulnerability can slowly take over our lives—sometimes we are not even aware.  It manifests itself in subtle ways like the feeling of frustration when the doctor looks carefully at our chart during a visit but ignores why we really came.

It grows in us as we believe the thoughts in our minds and messages from media: “I can do this on my own” and “I only want to give to people, not receive.”

Eventually, this unhealthy habit takes root and suddenly, when crisis mode hits, it becomes explosive and the very relationships we desperately need become sources of stress.

Remembering to be Vulnerable    

    

When we start practicing habits of being vulnerable in the routine of daily life, we can more easily express it in stressful times.

Encouragement and calling are all around us; we just need ears to hear them.  And the way we start hearing words of deep encouragement is by opening a shut door or two of our hearts—even when it feels risky.

That’s not to say people won’t hurt or disappoint because they will.  One definition of vulnerability is, “to wound.” This doesn’t mean we walk around being fragile or needy.  It just means we can be accessible, even tender.  When we’re in the daily habit of being vulnerable we begin to feel less alone, less burdened, and certainly more encouraged in the deeper places.

How we show our needs in the daily of life determines our support in the crises of life.

One reason we practice being vulnerable in the everyday of life is it reminds us of how much we need Jesus.  We learn sweet dependence and break chains of independence that our culture and our reasoning bind us with each day.

Here’s Our Challenge

Today, try practicing vulnerability with other people. 

·      Say what you need.  Say, “I need  ______________.  Be vulnerable for the needs you cannot meet, the ones where someone else’s help would cause you to shake your head and say, “I couldn’t have made it without you.”

·      Say it to God and pay attention to how encouraged you feel in the deeper places when you turn to Him.

·      See if someone is trying to say it to you today.

“See to it, sisters and brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.  So that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

Hebrews 3:12