the BEAUTY of VULNERABILITY

There is so much beauty in vulnerability. Consider the many distressful Psalms in the Bible, penned by King David during moments of fatigue, failure, or frustration. Yet, through the transparency of the hurt comes the clarity of the Healer--and therefore hope and encouragement to all those reading them.Recently, I have had the pleasure of hearing testimonies from some of my students and peers alike.  Actually, we were in the middle of breaking down “the Law of His Instrument”, a concept from my book, ‘U MAY B THE ONLY BIBLE SOMEBODY READS’. The “law” states that “surrendering to the grip of grace will hold you up to a higher standard of influence.” Meaning, when we surrender to the hand of God in our hurt and pain, it is right there that grace holds us up to be the beauty of vulnerability that highlights God’s efficiency.Consider the amazing inspiration of Joni Eareckson Tada, who turned her state of paralysis into a paradigm of purpose.  She could have surrendered to her hurt and “paralyzed” the influence that God entrusted to her through her pain. Or --just as she did--surrender to the grip of grace and has been held up to a higher standard of influence ever since. She once said, “My weakness, that is, my quadriplegia, is my greatest asset because it forces me into the arms of Christ every single morning when I get up."Wow! She has influenced millions upon millions because she allowed God to make beauty out of her vulnerability.I was blessed to see this from one of my students in youth group who opened up their hurts by sharing how they struggled with a certain behavior.  Yet as this student pushed through the awkward squeeze of vulnerability, it was right there that they found the grip of Jesus’ tranquility. It was beautiful to witness such trusting transparency and it was the very application of the law that brought the curriculum of the book to life.I can go on and on about the many hurts that have been met by the hands of the Healer and the many pains that God has allowed to be made into gain-- from my very own parents to our recent guest speaker at youth group, Tommy Frederick. It’s not easy to share your fatigues, failures, or frustrations, but like the Psalms, they are the very valleys that lead us into the mountains of influence and inspiration. Appropriately, the meaning of “psalm” is actually “praise”!King David got it right, Joni Eareckson Tada got it right. My student got it right. Tommy Frederick got it right. There is indeed beauty in vulnerability, for it is the very seat of emotions that allows King Jesus to make His throne known.