“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
― C.S Lewis. The Four Loves
When I first heard the quote above from C.S Lewis, I didn’t quite understand it. His words struck me, and caught me off guard. As I pondered this quote, God began to show me a lot about vulnerability and transparency.
Being open and transparent with people is hard, even to the people you love the most. Why do we find it so difficult? Is it fear of rejection, or possible hurt? Fear of what will come about once you reveal the depths of your heart?
My personality is very open, and bubbly. I love talking with people over a cup of coffee, and having heart to hearts. Its something I enjoy tremendously! But I have a hard time talking about my struggles with eating. I fear being this open with people, even those closest to me. But God started to convict me of this.
When I gave this area of my life to the Lord, I knew the moment came to where I had to be real. vulnerable. I had to let people in. I needed people in my life to ask me the hard questions, and be that accountability I needed. Be the friend to pray with and share with. I’ve heard it said like this, we were created in community for community. We need community. We need fellowship. We need others. As women, we need lives to lock arms with. There was something so freeing about the conversations I had with other people about my struggles. And what made it so precious was that they understood, and wanted to help me through this journey of mine. There is so much healing in allowing people in, sometimes it will hurt and be hard. But often times I find, when it gets harder, greater will the amount of healing be in the end.
God wants to bring those people in your life, He wants you free and full of joy. Proverbs 27:17 - As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. We need one another to build each other up, to love on, and to grow. we need community. First it started with being transparent with Him, then comes with those around you. God never meant for us to be isolated, and kept in the secrecy of our own heart. He wants us to be open, transparent and vulnerable. He was open, and vulnerable for us. He wants to know us. He wants to know you. There is so much freedom and beauty in transparency.
Be free, be open, be vulnerable, be who God wants you to be.
The Video above is one of my most favorite Spoken Word videos from Jefferson Bethke. This Spoken Word encouraged me to be at that place of transparency with others! I hope you too, are encouraged.
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