Posture of Vulnerability
In full transparency, I’m sitting in my comfy chair drinking coffee while working on this devotional when I should be packing for a long family weekend away. But isn’t that how God reaches in? He often finds us right in the messy and unplanned hurry. I feel anxious about all the things that I have to get done before going out of town, and He loves me enough to say, “Sit down with Me for a minute.”
I confess all of that to say, God’s Presence and our posture have everything to do with the “listening ears” of our heart being activated. Our physical pace impacts our mental and emotional pace; and sometimes, our mental pace takes control and alters our physical pace. Intellectually, we aren’t paying attention to the physical signs our physical body has been sending out to tell us, “SLOW DOWN!!” As a result, we come crashing to a halt and feel vulnerable, exposed, and honestly, weak. Why? Because we aren’t in control. The body God gave us knows its Maker better than we do.
Responsibility is a great attribute, but it can take priority really fast in the world we live in and the pace we keep. It turns into a checklist, that creates To-dos, that then puts our bodies in motion on what feels like a hamster wheel that we thought we were in control of. It’s always easier to see very plainly when someone else's hamster wheel is about to run straight into a wall than it is our own. (Have you heard about those glass houses and throwing rocks?) But when that happens, the ripples of whiplash hit every area of our life, and we feel too exhausted to even function. Most times, responsibility and vulnerability seem to be adversaries. While wrestling with wanting to steward my responsibilities and the call to be vulnerable, I was reminded of the moments Jesus took in the garden before His crucifixion.
Matthew 26:36-39, “Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into agonizing sorrow. Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out, stay here and keep vigil with me.” Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”
We all know that as the story progresses, Jesus goes back to the disciples who have fallen asleep; and, once again, He returns to His space to be alone and says, “I’m ready. Do it your way.” He then takes another break, checks on His disciples who are once again asleep, and the Bible says, “this time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.”
Even Jesus had to have time alone, completely alone, with God. Why do we think we can operate without that? In these verses, Jesus responds differently each time He returns as His heart, mind, and body were unified. Even the perfect Son of God went “over the same ground again.” He gave us the perfect picture of being honest, admitting sorrow and grief when what we know in our head and hearts are not the same and ultimately choosing God’s will over our own. At some point, we will realize that true influence and Holy Power are only bestowed on us in God's presence. If it was true for Jesus, you bet it’s the same for us. Jesus lost His life on the cross, but His true surrender and death started in the garden when His sorrow began and His honesty about how He felt was communicated.
Vulnerability is sacred. In our culture, we have sacred things; we just choose to not place that priority on them. Anything can be replaced, upgraded, or discarded. Is that why we shy away from true relationship and quality time with God? Do we feel like if we get real and raw with Him, He will replace, upgrade, or discard us? It’s probably because vulnerability feels like exposure. When discussed or talked about in our world, “vulnerability” is a weak spot or liability. No wonder our lean is not to subject ourselves to a posture or situation that could ever have us canceled or compromised.
We will only experience God's highest level of vulnerability and intimacy toward us when we choose to surrender and be vulnerable on our end. God isn’t going to force His knowledge and understanding on us when we aren’t asking for it or ready for it. If we never slow down long enough to realize we need Him, how vulnerable are we actually living? In the same breath, how fulfilled are we if we never actually know and experience all the things He wants for us?
The real question is this: Is it possible to live from a posture of vulnerability while simultaneously doing our day-to-day life at work, at home, and in the arenas in which we find ourselves? Even more so, do we trust that Jesus has our backs if we miss it somewhere? Take time to really see what God may have to say. Vulnerability, responsibility mixed with all-out surrender, can feel like a tidal wave. But in that slow quiet place, I can promise you that He will love you enough to give peace for all those responsibilities and a hunger to live more vulnerably. Jesus showed us where to run to work it all out. If His process and posture got Him through saving the world for eternity, you’d better believe He sees us in all our humanity to meet us in our own gardens to spend time with Him.
PRAYER/JOURNAL: Ask God to help you be vulnerable right where you are, and ask Him to meet you there. What is He telling you today?
I confess all of that to say, God’s Presence and our posture have everything to do with the “listening ears” of our heart being activated. Our physical pace impacts our mental and emotional pace; and sometimes, our mental pace takes control and alters our physical pace. Intellectually, we aren’t paying attention to the physical signs our physical body has been sending out to tell us, “SLOW DOWN!!” As a result, we come crashing to a halt and feel vulnerable, exposed, and honestly, weak. Why? Because we aren’t in control. The body God gave us knows its Maker better than we do.
Responsibility is a great attribute, but it can take priority really fast in the world we live in and the pace we keep. It turns into a checklist, that creates To-dos, that then puts our bodies in motion on what feels like a hamster wheel that we thought we were in control of. It’s always easier to see very plainly when someone else's hamster wheel is about to run straight into a wall than it is our own. (Have you heard about those glass houses and throwing rocks?) But when that happens, the ripples of whiplash hit every area of our life, and we feel too exhausted to even function. Most times, responsibility and vulnerability seem to be adversaries. While wrestling with wanting to steward my responsibilities and the call to be vulnerable, I was reminded of the moments Jesus took in the garden before His crucifixion.
Matthew 26:36-39, “Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into agonizing sorrow. Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out, stay here and keep vigil with me.” Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”
We all know that as the story progresses, Jesus goes back to the disciples who have fallen asleep; and, once again, He returns to His space to be alone and says, “I’m ready. Do it your way.” He then takes another break, checks on His disciples who are once again asleep, and the Bible says, “this time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.”
Even Jesus had to have time alone, completely alone, with God. Why do we think we can operate without that? In these verses, Jesus responds differently each time He returns as His heart, mind, and body were unified. Even the perfect Son of God went “over the same ground again.” He gave us the perfect picture of being honest, admitting sorrow and grief when what we know in our head and hearts are not the same and ultimately choosing God’s will over our own. At some point, we will realize that true influence and Holy Power are only bestowed on us in God's presence. If it was true for Jesus, you bet it’s the same for us. Jesus lost His life on the cross, but His true surrender and death started in the garden when His sorrow began and His honesty about how He felt was communicated.
Vulnerability is sacred. In our culture, we have sacred things; we just choose to not place that priority on them. Anything can be replaced, upgraded, or discarded. Is that why we shy away from true relationship and quality time with God? Do we feel like if we get real and raw with Him, He will replace, upgrade, or discard us? It’s probably because vulnerability feels like exposure. When discussed or talked about in our world, “vulnerability” is a weak spot or liability. No wonder our lean is not to subject ourselves to a posture or situation that could ever have us canceled or compromised.
We will only experience God's highest level of vulnerability and intimacy toward us when we choose to surrender and be vulnerable on our end. God isn’t going to force His knowledge and understanding on us when we aren’t asking for it or ready for it. If we never slow down long enough to realize we need Him, how vulnerable are we actually living? In the same breath, how fulfilled are we if we never actually know and experience all the things He wants for us?
The real question is this: Is it possible to live from a posture of vulnerability while simultaneously doing our day-to-day life at work, at home, and in the arenas in which we find ourselves? Even more so, do we trust that Jesus has our backs if we miss it somewhere? Take time to really see what God may have to say. Vulnerability, responsibility mixed with all-out surrender, can feel like a tidal wave. But in that slow quiet place, I can promise you that He will love you enough to give peace for all those responsibilities and a hunger to live more vulnerably. Jesus showed us where to run to work it all out. If His process and posture got Him through saving the world for eternity, you’d better believe He sees us in all our humanity to meet us in our own gardens to spend time with Him.
PRAYER/JOURNAL: Ask God to help you be vulnerable right where you are, and ask Him to meet you there. What is He telling you today?
We'd love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments what God is speaking to you as you read these devotionals. If you haven't already subscribed to receive our devotional emails right to your inbox, hit the subscribe button below and invite your family and friends to subscribe as well! Thank you for being a part of our Opendoor Devotional Community. We appreciate you!
4 Comments
Yes!!! So true ?
So Whit!
Hit the spot for me! Thank you!
Yep, so good