Vulnerable...  Me? by Pamla Childers   HeartForTruth@aol.com "My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the  strength of my heart and my portion forever."  Psalm 73.26   When we think of strong women, we rarely think of "vulnerability" as belonging to a strong woman. However, when you discover the strength God has placed in you...and you discover this by taking risks, painful risks, risk of failure, risk of rejection, risk of mockery, and the list goes on... when you take these risks, you will discover that portion of His strength that he has given you!

This only happens by being vulnerable. Being yourself... opening up! Being REAL. Now I'm not advocating that we expose our private life for the world to view. That we TELL ALL! No, there are things between you and family members and things that you are working out with God that should be kept private. There may come a time when you will feel to share that particular experience with someone (as a witness and encourager) but you will know when the time is right. We must be REAL women, open to what God has for us. 


When you step into a difficult situation, and you rely on God to help you, then and only then will you discover the strength you have through him. Do you remember when you heard a trusted friend criticize you? Oh how that hurt... you may actually have felt real pain in your heart! You may have reacted harshly and stubbornly with words that you can never retrieve. 


Think how different the circumstance would have been if you had gone to Jesus first and received that “extra" strength to be able to respond with Holy Ghost words from your heart. The situation would have had a different outcome. Defenses would have been torn down and you would have chosen the "humble road" even though you felt you were right. I hear you saying, "I can't be that way, that's not my personality. I tell it like it is. I don’t let people walk over me.” What would Jesus have done? 


Turning the other cheek and taking the "humble road" means walking straight and tall! It means forgiveness (ouch)! It means forgiving and praying for that "impossible person" in your life. It takes courage to continue to smile and love that person and sincerely pray for them. God’s way is right...and doing the right thing will give you strength! Those “testing times” are weight bearing exercises and will increase your strength.


Vulnerability is the last thing we expect to combine with strength! The word means "able to be wounded". We cry out... “We don't want to be wounded.” Jesus was! He was wounded for us! Are we better than our Redeemer? Oh, what is the price of a lost soul? Are we counting the cost?


"Vulnerability is to voluntarily place yourself, for the sake of a larger purpose, in a situation that could bring pain." (P. Rineheart) 


As women we place ourselves in a vulnerable situation when we give birth to children. We submit ourselves to the pain of childbirth so that children may be born into this world. Can we expect to do any differently for children to be born into the church? No, we must expose ourselves to possibly being wounded and feeling pain. Mother to mother, do you really remember the pain of childbirth? I don't. Yes, I remember it was painful and lasted much longer than I thought it should. But do I still feel the pain... NO! But I have three handsome sons to show for those temporary pains of childbirth. There was REJOING and JOY after the birth. 

Are we afraid to birth children in the church because of the pain and struggles of childbirth and the time it takes rearing the child? Ah, the cost of giving birth... but the rewards are great!

We must be vulnerable and submissive to God's will. He will give us the strength to be wounded and bruised for his sake. He will heal the wounds and ease the pain that vulnerability brings our way. 

Be Real, Be Vulnerable, and Be Strong.

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