Vulnerability

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV
9. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Vulnerability requires humility and both are required to show the community around us our weaknesses. If we want to have a close, loving, real, Christ-centered community we must show others they can trust us with their vulnerability. This is all essential in allowing God to show us how he can build us up individually and as a family in Christ to make us strong.

If we as a family in Christ want to grow and form the community we need to reach our full potential in Christ, we must be vulnerable with one another. We must allow others to see us in our moments of weakness. When others are brave enough to be vulnerable with us we must show them that we as brothers and sisters in Christ can be trusted.

At some point in life we showed someone the weakness within us and we were shut down, laughed at or disregarded when we were vulnerable. We began to keep our emotions, thoughts and pain within. We stopped building trust with those around us and stopped allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. How do we build these relationships and allow ourselves to be vulnerable? We pray and trust God with the people He brings into our lives. We share the good and we share the pain and weakness within us. We accept and trust that through God our weakness will bring out His (and subesequently our) strength.

Being vulnerable and sharing the things within us that are dark and painful allows us to be the family God has called us to be. We need to know that the voice in our heads telling us that no one will understand what is going on is indeed a lie from the pit of hell. It is the enemy trying to keep us alone, scared and depressed.
Take a deep breath, pray and reach out to someone. You being vulnerable with others will allow them to do the same with you. We will build a community where Christ is the center and we are actively fighting against the enemy as a family! Vulnerability requires humility and trust! Trust builds families and families fight hard for one another! Life is easier to do when we are a family and the enemy knows this. We will not allow him to win the heart or mind of anyone in our family.

Prayer
Lord please help everyone here to know how loved and valued they are. I pray that all the weakness within us will be used to build us up to conquer great things in our life. Allow us to know that You are our strength and we can indeed climb all the mountains in our way. Let us all commit to humbling ourselves, being vulnerable and building trust within our beautiful church family.

Give us the strength to be vulnerable with one another. Help us to have wise and gentle words when people come to us seeking the love they need. Lord, You made all of us in Your image and You made us to be disciples for You. We know Your disciples while You were here on Earth were not perfect yet they left an impact that is still helping people turn to You. Allow us to see that we can be weak, vulnerable and still build your Kingdom.
Amen