Strength in Vulnerability

Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
    you have delivered me from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.  Psalm 86:11-13

 

When did vulnerability get such a bad rap?  It’s easy to see because whenever we say the word ‘vulnerable,’ we assume it is a word of weakness.  Something is vulnerable to attack, or their emotions show their vulnerability.  Thus when we go out to the world, we always want to portray or be around those who display strength, but the truth is we all have vulnerability in some capacity.  Even those who may be good at hiding it have something that weakens them.

 

Lately, there has been a great change in how vulnerability is viewed, and rightfully so.  Words such as honest, authentic, and even competitive advantage have now been associated with this word.  Why?  Because it shows a rare quality.  It says, “I am not perfect, and while I am strong, I cannot make it all by myself.”

 

Christians should look to vulnerability as a badge of honor fully admitting we must rely on our Heavenly Father.  David had a clear understanding that while strong, he was incredibly vulnerable.  Thus, he relied on God and prayed for strength to be a better follower.  There is so much that we are depended on to do, and we do many things very well.  However, God did not intend for us to be solely independent.  In fact, He blessed us with vulnerability to rely on Him and others.  The greater that we are able to accept our imperfections, ugliness, and failures to God, the more able He is able to fill our voids and perfect, purify, and change our circumstances to that of triumph.

 

Our willingness to be vulnerable to God allows us to be strong to all.  We can achieve much greater things if we are willing to admit that we cannot fight the world without God by our side.  Who can you strengthen through your vulnerability?  How will you own your flaws to God?  My prayer is that we learn to find strength in vulnerability.  Amen.