Vulnerability, and why it's okay

Recently I've been thinking a lot about vulnerability. I've been thinking a lot about how Jesus calls us to love people, even when we know that they could hurt us. Jesus would never ask us to do anything that He didn't do; we broke Jesus' heart the day we chose to crucify Him and we continue to break it when we hurt Him by sinning.

The "human condition", as Donald Miller calls it, is something pretty messy and broken. Humans naturally hurt other humans just by being human. It's especially tough when a fellow Christian hurts me because the Bible says we're all meant to be kind, loving people. I think this is why so many people think Christians think they're perfect; because, as Christians, we sometimes seem to think that we're meant to be perfect. I think this is why so many people build up walls, because they've been hurt immensely at some point in their lives and therefore think everyone's the same.

But d'you know the beautiful think about Jesus?

He holds all the things that humans are lacking.

I'm currently 'King's Cross' by Timothy Keller and I came across this quote last week:

"A major [issue] in my life has been people-pleasing. I needed approval, to be liked, admired, accepted. But for the first time I was able to see how important it was that I identified with Christ - His love has enabled me to set up emotional boundaries with people that I never could before. This enabled me to love my friends and family for who they are and not seek more from them, because I can find what is lacking in Christ. It's been a huge relief to finally feel free enough to love people and know that in Christ, I am safe and protected and that protecting myself or standing up for myself is actually a good thing."

Humans let us down, it's not their fault. We're naturally sinful beings, and we can only put that down to the fall. But what our fellow humans are lacking, we can find in God. It takes pressure off the people in our lives and it allows God to take control, to truly guide us and gain our trust. God knows far more than we ever will:

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   neither are your ways my ways,”

            declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

   so are my ways higher than your ways

   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

(NIV)

I want to be vulnerable I can love people even when I don't feel like it, even when they hurt me, because that's what Jesus did, and without His love and forgiveness we'd be lost.

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